Voice AI Hardware Challenge

The challenge

Thousands of years ago, speech opened up communication between humans. Now, it has the power to control hardware.

Whether you are building a smart home device to control your lights, educational tech to teach your preschool students their ABCs, or an autonomous pollution detection robot, show the world how you can use your voice to unleash its potential.

With MATRIX devices and Snips, you can turn all of your ideas into reality.

Take part in this cutting-edge technological movement by designing and building voice experiences that animate hardware interactions on edge-based, offline, and Private by Design platforms. The embedded voice revolution is here!

Jump-start your imagination with these ideas:

• Control your lights with voice
• Build your own Iron Man arc reactor
• Create a custom voice-controlled thermostat
• Karaoke for game night at home
• Your home barista comes to life

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are using a Raspberry Pi with your MATRIX device, you must use Raspbian Stretch. The latest Raspbian Buster is not yet fully supported.

Please find images of Raspbian Stretch desktop here, Raspbian Stretch Lite here, and the MATRIX kit image here which includes Stretch + MATRIX packages.

The Voice Platform

This contest features the Snips AI Voice Platform - the software behind the first decentralized, Private by Design voice assistant. The entire Snips AI Voice Platform runs on the edge - instead of centralizing user data and processing it in the cloud, Snips processes the user’s voice directly on-device. The full Snips AI Voice Platform is available for free to every contest participant and anyone who wants to tinker with the technology for non-commercial use.

NOTE: You must create a user account in order to participate in this contest and customize your voice app. Your account does not require any personally identifiable information, and you can utilize any email and username you wish--we take privacy seriously!

With an amazing community of over 25,000 developers (and growing) who are using Snips in new ways every day, you can help voice interfaces become more prevalent with your energy, feedback, and ambitious ideas to bring AI and voice to the edge.

Learn more and launch the Snips Console.

The Hardware Platform

For this contest, we ask that you use the MATRIX Creator or MATRIX Voice to build your voice-inspired smart projects. Build almost anything you desire with these versatile, compact boards which feature an intuitive 100% open-source software stack, vast project library, and helpful community.

The MATRIX Creator and MATRIX Voice enhance the Raspberry Pi. They unlock audio capabilities, along with several other sensory inputs. Additionally, they expose the power of micro-controllers, FPGAs, and more wireless communication protocols. No matter what your application, you are bound to find a tool you need in MATRIX devices.

The MATRIX Creator

The MATRIX Creator is an all-in-one development & prototyping board with 15 sensors including an 8-microphone array, IMU, environmental sensors, an Arm Cortex-M3 microcontroller, a Xilinx FPGA, Zigbee, Z-Wave, and NFC communication protocols, all on top of a Raspberry Pi.

To learn more about the MATRIX Creator & view a complete list of its components, click here.

Arm Innovation Challenge

Arm has partnered with us to present the Arm Innovation Challenge for projects showcasing an innovative application of Arm microcontrollers. This includes creative utilization of the MATRIX Creator's IMU or environmental sensors, or use of other Arm-based boards in combination with MATRIX devices.

NOTE: When considering use of other Arm-based boards, the use of the Raspberry Pi alone is not sufficient to qualify for this challenge.

The Arm Cortex-M3 is a powerful 32-bit microcontroller built to handle real-time applications. It serves as a valuable component on the MATRIX Creator, enabling the fast rate of data acquisition that proves advantageous in sensor driven applications.

To learn more about the Arm Cortex-M3 and view all of its specifications, click here.

The MATRIX Voice

The MATRIX Voice is built primarily for audio applications featuring an 8-microphone array, second tier Xilinx FPGA, a 3.5mm audio output jack, and an audio amplifier.

The MATRIX Voice ESP32 version has a WiFi/Bluetooth microcontroller that enables it to run as a standalone module once flashed with the Raspberry Pi. You can set it up with over the air programming using WiFi, and the Arduino IDE for convenience.

To learn more about the MATRIX Voice & view a complete list of its components, click here.

The MATRIX Software Stack

The MATRIX platform consists of fully open-source software libraries that enable coding all of its components with C++, JavaScript, and Python. Our newest library layer, MATRIX Lite, allows users to set LEDs or read sensors with just one line of code!

The powerful open-source Spartan-6 FPGA on MATRIX devices enables advanced users to implement custom soft cores, and build out additional functionality at the hardware level. Use this guide to get started with FPGA development using Verilog.

MATRIX devices provide a simple way to interface with, and democratize hardware. Combined with Snips, you can build powerful voice-controlled projects on the edge.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are using a Raspberry Pi with your MATRIX device, you must use Raspbian Stretch. The latest Raspbian Buster is not yet fully supported.

Please find images of Raspbian Stretch desktop here, Raspbian Stretch Lite here, and the MATRIX kit image here which includes Stretch + MATRIX packages.

Prizes

Grand Winner

The most unique project utilizing MATRIX devices and Snips.

1 winner

3D printer, robot arm, feature w/ Alex Glow

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$1,050 value

Prizes from all the other categories combined and more! This includes a higher tier 3D printer, the robotic arm, and an interview feature with Alex Glow!

Automation & Optimizations

The project that most effectively optimizes a specific workflow.

1 winner

Flash Forge Finder 3D Printer

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$350 value

Fun!

The project that makes everyone smile inside, and open their mouths in awe at the same time.

1 winner

Flash Forge Finder 3D Printer

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$350 value

Arm Challenge

The best use of Arm micro-controllers, whether it be the one on the MATRIX Creator, or in combination with another Arm-based board like Arduino (Raspberry Pi alone does not qualify).

1 winner

Robotic Arm

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$350 value

Hackster Impact Prize

Join Hackster as we rally with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in order to make today's world a smarter, healthier place. The Hackster team will select one project that best contributes to any of the SDGs. Please refer to the specific judging criteria for this prize category.

1 winner

$250 Gift card + Video interview + More $430 value

The winner will receive the following:
- a $250 gift card;
- a 12-month subscription to Patchr Premium ($180 value);
- last but not least, they will be featured in a video interview with Hackster’s one and only Alex Glow.

Please visit the Hackster Impact Prize page for more information.

Resources

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