350 points by sebastian95 4 months ago flag hide 65 comments
user34 4 months ago next
Can you share more information about the hardware and software components of your system?
user18 4 months ago prev next
@author I'm really impressed by your work, do you have plans to open source the code or make it available to the community?
user1 4 months ago prev next
@author That's impressive, I'd love to know more about how you implemented the voice recognition piece?
curious_dev 4 months ago prev next
Great job, I'm currently working on a similar project and would love to know what libraries/services you used for natural language processing and deciphering user intent?
ai_enthusiast 4 months ago next
If you're using Rasa, have you considered training custom actions to perform common smart home tasks? I think it would be a great addition.
author 4 months ago next
@AI_enthusiast Yes, that's definitely a possibility for future work. Currently, I have a set of predefined commands for controlling the devices, but training custom actions would allow for more flexibility and personalization.
author 4 months ago prev next
@user1 Sure thing! I used the Google Speech-to-Text API for voice recognition and I built the natural language processing and intent deciphering using Rasa Open Source.
opensource_fan 4 months ago prev next
Amazing! I love using open source tools, I'll have to check out Rasa for my own project. Thanks for sharing.
another_user 4 months ago prev next
@author Could you tell us more about the hardware setup? What type of smart home devices are you controlling with the system?
author 4 months ago prev next
@another_user Sure! I'm controlling Philips Hue bulbs, LIFX bulbs, and a Logitech Harmony hub. All of the devices are connected to my home network and the voice-controlled system sends commands over the network to control them.
user10 4 months ago prev next
This is fascinating! Have you thought about building a web interface for the system so that it can be controlled through a web browser?
author 4 months ago prev next
@user10 That's a great idea, I'll definitely consider building a web interface for the system in the future.
curious_dev_2 4 months ago prev next
What were some of the biggest technical challenges you faced during the development process? I'm sure many of us would love to learn from your experiences.
curious_dev_3 4 months ago next
Thanks for sharing! I'm facing a similar challenge with voice recognition in my own project. I'll definitely try your techniques.
author 4 months ago prev next
@curious_dev_2 One of the biggest technical challenges I faced was getting the voice recognition to work consistently and accurately. I ended up using a lot of techniques for error correction and noise reduction to improve the performance. I also had to work on parsing the user's speech to extract the correct intent and entities, which was a challenge in itself.
user15 4 months ago prev next
What do you think about privacy concerns with voice-controlled systems? How do you ensure that user's private conversations are not being recorded and sent to the cloud?
user17 4 months ago next
That's a good approach, I'm glad to hear that you're prioritizing privacy in your system.
author 4 months ago prev next
@user15 Privacy is a major concern with voice-controlled systems, and it's something that I took very seriously when building this system. I only activate the voice recognition when the wake word is detected, and all of the voice processing is done locally on the device, so no audio is sent to the cloud unless the wake word is detected. Additionally, I have added an option for users to trust or mistrust the system, and based on that I either store or delete the recorded audio offline.
author 4 months ago prev next
@user18 At the moment, I don't have plans to open source the code, as it's part of a larger project I'm working on, but I'm considering making it available as a commercial product for users who are interested in building their own voice-controlled smart home systems.
user19 4 months ago prev next
Have you considered integrating your system with Amazon Alexa or Google Home for a better user experience?
user20 4 months ago next
I understand your concerns about privacy, but I think it's possible to build an integration that preserves user privacy while still leveraging the benefits of Alexa and Google Home. Just a thought.
author 4 months ago prev next
@user19 I have considered integrating my system with Amazon Alexa and Google Home, but I decided not to pursue that route because I wanted to provide users with a completely privacy-focused solution. Both Alexa and Google Home send user data to the cloud, and I didn't want to compromise on that aspect. However, I might consider building a custom voice assistant in the future that provides the same level of privacy and integrates with popular smart home platforms.
user21 4 months ago prev next
@author How do you handle network connectivity issues and ensure that the system is always available for voice commands?
author 4 months ago prev next
@user21 I handle network connectivity issues by using a fallback mechanism that stores user commands on the device when the network is unavailable. When the network becomes available again, the system sends the stored commands to the server to be processed. I also use a failover mechanism that switches to a redundant server if the primary server is unavailable. This ensures that the system is always available for voice commands, even in the case of network outages or server failures.
user25 4 months ago prev next
Are there any performance trade-offs when using a local voice recognition system compared to a cloud-based one?
author 4 months ago prev next
@user25 Yes, there are some performance trade-offs when using a local voice recognition system compared to a cloud-based one. Local voice recognition systems typically have lower accuracy than cloud-based systems, especially in noisy environments. However, local systems provide better privacy, as they don't send user data to the cloud. To mitigate the accuracy issues, I used various techniques for error correction and noise reduction, as I mentioned earlier. Ultimately, I think the benefits of using a local voice recognition system outweigh the performance trade-offs, especially for privacy-focused applications.
user27 4 months ago prev next
Have you considered adding support for more complex commands, such as chains of multiple commands or commands with optional parameters?
author 4 months ago prev next
@user27 Yes, that's definitely a possibility for future work. Currently, the system only supports simple commands with a single intent and no optional parameters. However, in the future, I plan to add support for more complex commands, such as chains of multiple commands or commands with optional parameters. This would allow users to perform more sophisticated operations, such as scheduling multiple devices to turn on at specific times, or controlling devices with more granularity.
user28 4 months ago prev next
Thanks for sharing your project with us! It's really inspiring to see what you've built.
author 4 months ago prev next
@user28 Thank you! I'm glad you find it inspiring. Building this system has been a lot of work, but it's also been a lot of fun, and I've learned a lot along the way. I hope my project can inspire others to build their own voice-controlled smart home systems, and to think creatively about how they can use technology to make their lives easier and more convenient.
user29 4 months ago prev next
Have you considered adding voice biometric authentication to your system to prevent unauthorized access?
author 4 months ago prev next
@user29 Yes, that's a great suggestion! Voice biometric authentication is a security feature that I've been considering adding to the system. By analyzing the unique characteristics of a user's voice, such as pitch, tone, and pace, the system can determine whether the user is who they claim to be. This would provide an additional layer of security and prevent unauthorized users from controlling the system. I'll definitely add this feature to the roadmap.
user30 4 months ago prev next
Thanks for sharing your experience with us! It's always interesting to hear how other people approach similar problems.
author 4 months ago prev next
@user30 You're welcome! I'm always happy to share my experience with others. I think that's one of the things that makes the Hacker News community so great, the willingness to share knowledge and expertise with each other.
user31 4 months ago prev next
Have you considered adding a visual interface to your system, such as a dashboard or a mobile app?
author 4 months ago prev next
@user31 Yes, that's definitely a possibility for future work. Currently, the system only supports voice commands, but adding a visual interface would provide users with additional ways to interact with the system. A dashboard or a mobile app would allow users to see the status of their devices, control them with more granularity, and view their usage statistics. I'll add this feature to the roadmap as well.
user32 4 months ago prev next
Have you considered integrating your system with home automation platforms, such as Home Assistant or OpenHAB?
author 4 months ago prev next
@user32 Yes, integrating my system with home automation platforms is definitely a possibility for future work. By integrating with these platforms, users would be able to control their smart devices from a single interface, rather than having to switch between different apps and systems. This would provide a more seamless and convenient user experience. I'll definitely add this feature to the roadmap as well.
user33 4 months ago prev next
How does your system handle multiple users and different voice profiles?
author 4 months ago prev next
@user33 Currently, my system only supports a single user, but I have been considering adding support for multiple users and different voice profiles. This would provide a more personalized and secure experience, as each user would have their own voice profile and associated permissions. To implement this feature, I would need to extend the system's authentication and authorization mechanisms, as well as its user management capabilities. This is certainly a challenging but exciting feature that I would like to add in the future.
author 4 months ago prev next
@user34 Sure! My system consists of a Raspberry Pi 4 running Raspbian OS, a microphone array for voice input, and a set of smart devices for voice control. The system uses Google's Speech-to-Text API for voice recognition, and a custom software stack for natural language processing and device control. The software stack includes a voice recognition engine, a natural language parser, and a device controller. The voice recognition engine converts the user's voice into text, the natural language parser extracts the user's intent and entities from the text, and the device controller sends the appropriate command to the smart device. The software components are written in Python and use various open-source libraries and frameworks, such as TensorFlow, NLTK, and PySerial.
user35 4 months ago prev next
Thanks for sharing your system details! It's always interesting to learn about the technical side of a project.
author 4 months ago prev next
@user35 You're welcome! I'm always happy to share technical details with others. It's important to document and share knowledge about our projects, so that others can learn from our experiences and build upon our work.
user36 4 months ago prev next
Have you considered using a different voice recognition engine, such as Mozilla's DeepSpeech?
author 4 months ago prev next
@user36 Yes, I have considered using Mozilla's DeepSpeech as an alternative to Google's Speech-to-Text API. DeepSpeech is an open-source engine that uses deep learning for voice recognition, and it's known for its high accuracy and customizability. However, it also requires a significant amount of computational resources and technical expertise to set up and use. Given my time and resource constraints, I decided to use Google's Speech-to-Text API as a more practical and easy-to-use solution. However, I would certainly be interested in exploring DeepSpeech as a future alternative.
user37 4 months ago prev next
How do you ensure the reliability and availability of your system over time?
author 4 months ago prev next
@user37 Ensuring the reliability and availability of a system over time is a critical aspect of building any product. To achieve this, I use several techniques, such as monitoring the system's performance and usage, using redundant and fault-tolerant components, and providing regular updates and maintenance. I also use various testing and validation techniques, such as unit testing, integration testing, and user acceptance testing, to ensure that the system meets the required quality standards. Finally, I use best practices for software development, such as version control, code review, and continuous integration, to ensure that the system is maintainable and extensible over time.
user38 4 months ago prev next
Thanks for sharing your insights on system reliability and availability! It's important to consider these factors when building any product.
author 4 months ago prev next
@user38 You're welcome! I'm always happy to share my insights and experiences with others. Building reliable and available systems is an essential aspect of software engineering, and it's important to raise awareness and knowledge of these topics in the developer community.
user39 4 months ago prev next
How do you handle network latency and response time in your system?