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Rhasspy is an easy to use open source, fully offline, suite for this with wake word detection and integration with home assistant.

rkeene2 5y ago
I've never understood the desire to control systems by speaking to them in code words. Speaking monopolizes a shared channel, requires diverting your conversation, and is really slow. For practically anything that involves using code words to tell the computer what to do there are better input methods, like physical switches, or purely automated. This is slightly off-topic, but in your opinion what are some of the reasons people prefer to use voice input with code words over the other options ?
- zentiggr 5y ago
  If I'm curled up comfortably with my SO, and don't want to take ten minutes of unwinding, doing whatever, then tucking back up together...
  - rkeene2 5y ago
    It seems like in that case a remote control could be placed nearby -- are you also using voice activated code words to control the television ?
    - 8note 5y ago
      Unless your SO is sitting on the remote
    - Semaphor 5y ago
      > are you also using voice activated code words to control the television ? I happen to have backed a Kickstarter that will hopefully enable me to do just that ;)
      - rkeene2 5y ago
        If you're interested in getting more quickly and WANT to write software, you can have the Raspberry Pi control most televisions over HDMI-CEC using libcec [0], and then you just need the voice recognition stuff mentioned above (Rhasspy [1]). I had to do something similar (minus voice controls) to keep my existing remote's volume controls working with an analog volume device [2]. [0] https://github.com/Pulse-Eight/libcec https://github.com/Pulse-Eight/libcec [1] https://github.com/rhasspy/rhasspy https://github.com/rhasspy/rhasspy [2] https://rkeene.org/viewer/tmp/cec-volume.cc.htm https://rkeene.org/viewer/tmp/cec-volume.cc.htm
- bikezen 5y ago
  Cooking. My hands might be occupied or dirty etc, but I need to set or change a timer.
  - rkeene2 5y ago
    Thanks for helping me to understand this better.
  - QuercusMax 5y ago
    Or washing dishes; pretty much anything in the kitchen.
  - Semaphor 5y ago
    Yep. Cooking is what I use Alexa for. The main control is homeassistant, but it forwards some lights to Alexa for me to control ober voice.
- 8note 5y ago
  Physical switches rely on light as a handshaking method. When the light is off, the switch is invisible and you have to guess at where it is, or where you need to be walking (hitting your shins on things, or stepping on lego) Using a non-light based interface means it works just as well when the light is on and off, vs being a broken experience for half of the usecases
- patmorgan23 5y ago
  1. Hands are dirty/unavailable (like other mentioned cooking) 2. The physical controls are physically across the room 3. The physical controls can't be located easily (lost remote, dark room) Another point, the cognitive load of speaking a command is different than pecking through menus on a phone or finding the right button on the remote/device. It may be easier to just speak out load depending on your state if mind.

rkeene2 5y ago

I've never understood the desire to control systems by speaking to them in code words. Speaking monopolizes a shared channel, requires diverting your conversation, and is really slow. For practically anything that involves using code words to tell the computer what to do there are better input methods, like physical switches, or purely automated. This is slightly off-topic, but in your opinion what are some of the reasons people prefer to use voice input with code words over the other options ?

zentiggr 5y ago
If I'm curled up comfortably with my SO, and don't want to take ten minutes of unwinding, doing whatever, then tucking back up together...
- rkeene2 5y ago
  It seems like in that case a remote control could be placed nearby -- are you also using voice activated code words to control the television ?
  - 8note 5y ago
    Unless your SO is sitting on the remote
  - Semaphor 5y ago
    > are you also using voice activated code words to control the television ? I happen to have backed a Kickstarter that will hopefully enable me to do just that ;)
    - rkeene2 5y ago
      If you're interested in getting more quickly and WANT to write software, you can have the Raspberry Pi control most televisions over HDMI-CEC using libcec [0], and then you just need the voice recognition stuff mentioned above (Rhasspy [1]). I had to do something similar (minus voice controls) to keep my existing remote's volume controls working with an analog volume device [2]. [0] https://github.com/Pulse-Eight/libcec https://github.com/Pulse-Eight/libcec [1] https://github.com/rhasspy/rhasspy https://github.com/rhasspy/rhasspy [2] https://rkeene.org/viewer/tmp/cec-volume.cc.htm https://rkeene.org/viewer/tmp/cec-volume.cc.htm
bikezen 5y ago
Cooking. My hands might be occupied or dirty etc, but I need to set or change a timer.
- rkeene2 5y ago
  Thanks for helping me to understand this better.
- QuercusMax 5y ago
  Or washing dishes; pretty much anything in the kitchen.
- Semaphor 5y ago
  Yep. Cooking is what I use Alexa for. The main control is homeassistant, but it forwards some lights to Alexa for me to control ober voice.
8note 5y ago
Physical switches rely on light as a handshaking method. When the light is off, the switch is invisible and you have to guess at where it is, or where you need to be walking (hitting your shins on things, or stepping on lego) Using a non-light based interface means it works just as well when the light is on and off, vs being a broken experience for half of the usecases
patmorgan23 5y ago
1. Hands are dirty/unavailable (like other mentioned cooking) 2. The physical controls are physically across the room 3. The physical controls can't be located easily (lost remote, dark room) Another point, the cognitive load of speaking a command is different than pecking through menus on a phone or finding the right button on the remote/device. It may be easier to just speak out load depending on your state if mind.