Tag Archives: Google Home

What is Ambient Sensing?

Although smart homes have been around for several years now, this industry is rather nascent. Even though we are familiar with the use of Amazon Alexas and Google Homes as smart devices, but for smart homes, they have their limitations.

Smart devices do use technologies promising levels of interoperability and convenience that were unheard of a few years ago. However, they have not been able to fulfill current expectations. For instance, they struggle if there is no home network, cannot use unprocessed data, and are typically standalone devices.

Movies provide a better concept of a smart home. They present a futuristic building with levels of autonomy and comfort far beyond what the current technology can provide. In the real world, our ability to interact with them is rather limited.

For instance, the smart technology available at present allows interaction with voice commands only, thereby limiting their autonomy. Although the current technology boasts of voice recognition, this is still frustrating and cumbersome to use. Most people seek a seamless experience that comes with higher intuitive or human interaction.

For instance, it is still not possible to unlock a smart home simply by improving voice commands. Although audio sensors do form a crucial element for intuitive interaction with a smart home, making them a part of a sensor array for providing better contextual information would be a better idea. For genuinely smart home, the devices must provide a more meaningful interaction, including superior personalization for contextualized decision-making.

While it may be possible for manufacturers to pack in unique sensor arrays in devices, some sensor types could prove to be more useful. For instance, cameras provide huge amounts of information, and smart systems could make use of this fact to perceive the smart home in a better way. Adding acoustic sensors, and gas sensors along with 3-D mapping could be one way of bringing smart environments to the next level.

By collating these inputs, smart devices can understand and implement individual preferences better. For instance, depending on who has entered or exited the room, a smart device can change the sounds, lights, safety features, and temperature matching that person’s profile. Smart devices must not limit themselves to comprehending the ambient alone, but be capable of changing the environment, even without direct inputs.

These features could go beyond providing comfort alone. For instance, with motion sensors, the device could extend security. Along with motion sensing, individual recognition, and 3-D mapping could make homes much safer. For saving energy, sensors for presence, daylight sensing, and temperature measurements could dim lights or adjust air conditioning for better comfort on hot days.

One of the issues holding back such implementation is consumer privacy. While homeowners have grown accustomed to smart speakers, endless examples are available of data-mining organizations that observe the consumer’s daily interaction with these devices. For instance, Amazon’s Astro robot has been accused of data harvesting and there is criticism of Facebook’s smart glasses by the Data Privacy Commission in Ireland. As devices get smarter and use more ambient technology, consumers will have to share greater amounts of data than they are doing at present.

A Google Assistant with the Raspberry Pi

This is the age of smart home assistants, but not the human kind. The last couple of years a fever pitch has been building up over these smart home assistants, and every manufacture is now offering their own version. While Apple offers Siri, Amazon presents Echo and Alexa, Microsoft wants us to use Cortana, and Google tempts us with Google Home Assistant, there are several more in the race. However, in this melee, Raspberry Pi (RBPi) enthusiasts can make their own smart speaker using the SBC.

Although you can buy Google Home, the problem is it is not available worldwide. However, it is a simple matter to have the Google Assistant in your living room, provided you have an RBPi3 or an RBPiZ. Just as with any other smart home assistant, your RBPi3 home assistant will let you control any device connected to it, simply with your voice.

The first thing you need to communicate with your assistant is a microphone and a speaker. The May issue MagPi, the official RBPi magazine, had carried a nice speaker set sponsored by Google. However, if you have missed the issue, you can use any speaker and USB microphone combination available. The MagPi offer is an AIY Voice Kit for making your own home assistant. AIY is an acronym coined from AI or Artificial Intelligence, and DIY or DO it Yourself.

The MagPi Kit is a very simple arrangement. The magazine offers a detailed instruction set anyone can follow. If you do not have the magazine, the instructions are available on their AIY projects website. The contents of the kit include Voice HAT PCB for controlling the microphone and switch, a long PCB with two microphones, a switch, a speaker, an LED light, a switch mechanism, a cardboard box for assembling the kit, and cables for connecting everything.

Apart from the kit, you will also require additional hardware such as an RBPi3, a micro SD card for installing the operating system, a screwdriver, and some scotch tape.

After collecting all the parts, start the assembly by connecting the Voice HAT PCB. It controls the microphones and the switch, and you attach it to the RBPi3 or RBPiZ using the two small standoffs. Take care to align the GPIO connectors on the HAT to that on the RBPi, and push them in together to connect.

The combination of the HAT board and RBPi will go into the first box. You will need to fold the box taking care to keep the written words on the outside. Place the speaker inside the box first, taking care to align it to the side with the holes. Now, connect the cables to the Voice HAT, and place the combination inside the box.

Next, assemble the switch and LED, inserting the combination into the box. Take care to connect the cables in proper order according to the instructions. As the last step, use the PCB with the two microphones, and use scotch tape to attach it to the box.

Now flash the SD card with the Voice Kit SD image from the website, and insert it into the RBPi. Initially, you may need to monitor the RBPi with an HDMI cable, a keyboard, and mouse.