Google Releases DIY Open Source Raspberry Pi ‘Voice Kit’ hardware

The Google Home voice kit hardware unit brings its assistant to life, making traditional inputs and displays unnecessary. With just the power of your voice, you can interact with the device; nothing else is needed.

Google has long been focused on artificial intelligence.Its Google Now and voice assistance projects have used AI to better the lives of users.

The search giant has decided to take artificial intelligence to the maker community with a new initiative called AIY. This initiative (found here) will introduce open-source AI projects to the public that makers can leverage in a simple way.

Today, Google announced the first-ever AIY project. Called “Voice Kit,” it is designed to work with a Raspberry Pi to create a voice-based virtual assistant. Please keep in mind that the Pi itself is not included, so you must bring your own. For this project, you can use a Pi 3 Model B, Pi 2, or Pi Zero. Want a voice kit? Here’s how to get it. Heck, you might be getting one for free and you don’t even know it.

“The first open source reference project is the Voice Kit: instructions to build a Voice User Interface (VUI) that can use cloud services (like the new Google Assistant SDK or Cloud Speech API) or run completely on-device. This project extends the functionality of the most popular single-board computer used for digital making—the Raspberry Pi,” says Billy Rutledge, Director of AIY Projects at Google.

It was designed and tested with the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B.”

Rutledge further explains, “The included Voice Hardware Accessory on Top (HAT) contains hardware for audio capture and playback: easy-to-use connectors for the dual mic daughter board and speaker, GPIO pins to connect low-voltage components like micro-servos and sensors, and an optional barrel connector for dedicated power supply.

Source:  Non-Edited Betanews & Raspberry Pi, AIY Projects