The guys at PiTop have done it again. The creators of accessories that transform a Raspberry Pi into a tablet or laptop have created an accessory that will allow us to have a virtual assistant on our Raspberry Pi. We can say that Pi-TopPulse works like Amazon's Amazon Echo speaker.
It's a listening device that connects to the Raspberry Pi GPIO and that it can make us listen to audio as well as pick up the commands we pronounce aloud.
Pi-TopPulse is an accessory for those looking to have a speaker like Amazon Echo
The work of this accessory is not something new, we already know it many. But the projects that existed so far were not as user-friendly as Pi-TopPulse. This Raspberry Pi accessory has a led screen with a headset and a speaker, all assembled in a box with connectors at its base that connect with the GPIO of a Raspberry Pi board, including the first Raspberry Pi models.
Pi-TopPulse also comes with libraries and programs written in Python that manage the functionalities of the device. Among these functions is the possibility of emitting text or data through its panel of led lights, as if it were the screen of the home phone, but with colors and taking into account the responses of Raspberry Pi.
Of course it is a great accessory for those who want to have a more complete Alexa system although we have to say that the price of the device is a little more expensive than the original from Amazon. Currently Pi-TopPulse can be buy in specialty stores for $ 49. If we take into account that we have to have a Raspberry Pi 3 board to work properly, we can have an Alexa system for approximately one hundred euros. More expensive, but also more customizable and powerful than Amazon's speaker Do not you think?