Creating a Siri clone with an Arduino Yún

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An Arduino Yún can act just like Siri, allowing users to ask it a question and get an audio response.

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Over the years, voice control applications have risen in popularity with programs like Siri, Alexa, Cortana, and “OK Google” revolutionizing the way in which people interact with their mobile devices. With this in mind, Maker Bob Hammell decided to recreate the capabilities of Apple’s intelligent personal assistant using an Arduino.

An Arduino Yún (ATmega32U4) was chosen to mimic Siri, enabling users to ask it a question and to receive an audio response moments later. A Proto Shield with a pushbutton sits on top of the Internet-connected Arduino, while an audio interface plugged into the Yún’s USB socket is attached to a microphone and a battery-powered speaker.

Whenever the circuit’s pushbutton is pressed, the Arduino sketch running on the ATmega32U4 launches a Python script on the Atheros AR9331, which emits a tone promoting a user’s question. The inquiry is recorded through the microphone and saved as a WAV file. From there, the file is translated to text using AT&T’s Speech to Text API. This then gets passed into the WolframAlpha computational knowledge engine using the Temboo library, and upon receiving a response, calls another Linux command to share the answer through the speaker.

Interested? You can find out more about the project, including its source code and sketches, on the Maker’s detailed page here. Or, simply watch it in action below.

Combining Android and Arduino to control your TV

Couch potatoes, you’ll love this. Maker Jayvis Vineet Gonsalves has created a device ideal for any lazy Sunday spent on the sofa. His Android-powered TV remote allows for voice recognition software to control your TV with little to no effort.

This Maker’s Aergia (named after the Greek goddess of sloth) concept was devised for a situation where “the TV remote which is located just beyond your arm’s length seems to be many miles away and you do not have the energy, nor the will power to reach for it.” Hoping to utilize the power of his Android phone, which is never out of arm’s reach, Jayvis embarked on this project.

After preparing the plastic project enclosure and securing the power supply circuit, Jayvis turned to the brains of the device. To solve his lethargy issue, he paired a Bluetooth transceiver with an Arduino Uno (ATmega328).

“The Bluetooth Module enables the Arduino to connect and communicate wirelessly with the Android phone,’ the Maker noted. He also suggests that you purchase a Bluetooth Module, which is soldered to a breakout board, as purchasing only the Bluetooth Module without the breakout board means that “you will have to do the tricky soldering part which could damage the module if it is not done with the right tools”

Next, he attached an IR LED Stem to communicate with the TV and assembled all of the components into a final build. To control this device, Jayvis developed an Android app companion that functions as a universal Bluetooth remote. He notes, “In addition to all the basic buttons an IR Remote has, the app also features a voice recognition system and 12 user programmable buttons.” Perfect for any couch potato!

If you would like to build your own Aergia device, you can check out the full Instructables post here.