The Internet of Voice Challenge on Hackster.io has officially come to a close. Our spirits are high after seeing the heights of creativity, the quality of code, and the compelling narratives of the 101 entrants. Simply put, we are impressed with how developers connected Alexa with Raspberry Pi.
After careful deliberation, we are announcing the winners!
1st Place: Roxie the Voice-Activated Pitching Machine by Terren Peterson
The cold efficiency of a pitching machine is a great way to learn to hit a ball, but it’s so impersonal. Instead, Robot Roxie is powered by Alexa and lets you ask for the next pitch.
Watch Robot Roxie in action.
2nd Place: Voice-Controlled K’nex Car by Austin Wilson
This developer revived his old builder set and decided it was more fun to control it with his voice. Watch the Alexa-enabled K’nex buggy show off some of its moves.
3rd Place: Smart Cap: Vision for the Visually Impaired by Tushar Chugh
This wearable tech for the visually impaired narrates what’s in the wearer’s environment. The clever use of a webcam, an online cognition API with recognition capability, and Amazon Web Services opens up a world of possibilities for those with limited vision.
Here’s a short history and working demo of the Smart Cap.
1st Place: Coffee Machine by Bastiaan Slee
Turns Alexa into your own personal barista while Raspberry Pi sends commands to your home coffee maker. Here’s the Alexa-enabled coffee machine pouring a couple of coffeehouse treats for its developer.
2nd Place: Mystic Mirror by Darian Johnson
The Queen’s magic mirror helped her track down Snow White, but did it provide weather, traffic, and news updates? No way. The Mystic Mirror, a voice-controlled smart mirror, can also give you reminders, send SMS messages, and take selfies.
Watch how Mystic Mirror fits into the story of this developer’s life.
3rd Place: Ping Pong Showdown by Dana Young
Alexa can help you improve your table tennis game by keeping score, giving you encouragement, and chiding you gently when needed. See how this developer called on Alexa to simulate a steadfast and friendly game partner.
These winners are certainly not the end of the remarkable entries at Hackster.io. Explore the other Alexa and Raspberry Pi projects. Once you’ve picked your favorite projects, grab a Raspberry Pi and start building your own Alexa-enabled project! We can’t wait to see what you make.
Special thanks to the Raspberry Pi Foundation for their participation in this contest.