Turning a Furby into an Amazon Echo (opens in new tab)

(howchoo.com)

200 pointsahemphill8y ago26 comments

26 comments

"Furby is comprised of a few primary components -- a microprocessor covered in black resin (to protect Tiger Electronics' intellectual property)"

Wishful thinking. It's chip-on-board technology, which lowers the cost of the final product. In the toy business, every penny counts.

Anyone can decap a chip package these days, the COB resin is not any more secure.

https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/how-chip-on-boards-are-...

http://www.ue.com.hk/index.php/Saving_Cost_-_Bare_Die_Assemb...

theseanstewart8y ago

During the video he says, "Furlexa, tell me about furbies". My echo dot heard this and proceeded to tell me about Herpes.

Danihan8y ago

That's because the results are personalized.. ;p

iicc8y ago

Disappointed that it doesn't lip-sync (like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRxhgxH6FUI)

sircastor8y ago

I think this is primarily the fault of the mechanism that handles the... beak(?) movement. I believe opening and closing is a continuous loop on reduced gear motor. Getting that to synchronize is difficult, especially as the echo just hands you back an mp3.

runj__8y ago

It would be really cool if it modulated the Alexa voice to sound like a Furby too!

k__8y ago

And if the mouth would be more aligned with the talking, but the engine is probably not strong enough.

But it seems that the echo-light is somehow coupled to the eyes, which is nice.

davidkuhta8y ago

This would be awesome to do with one of Hasbro's "Furbacca".

fenwick678y ago

It's crazy to me that these things have only one motor that controls their eyelids, ears, mouth and their base.

dpflan8y ago

Is there a product like this just for kids: a furry, friendly, interactive, mobile, voice-based connection to the internet? It could be an early learning tool (and source of great annoyance and surprise hilarity). Kids could learn to make apps for their wrapped Alexa, apps that help them help themselves and their friends, parents, etc...

[I am now imagining the Star Trek episode "The Trouble with Tribbles" where all tribbles are Alexa wrappers... X_x save me!]

QAPereo8y ago

It would be a security nightmare and you’d be targeting kids.

dpflan8y ago

Hm, yeah, maybe a DIY or Kit is better than full-fledged product. But is it just as bad as giving your child an iPad with Siri?

1 more reply

marcosscriven8y ago

Cute. Playing the video constantly had my own Amazon Echo answering the same questions.

It's not clear how much the Alexa Voice Service would cost in a commercial product?

ccozan8y ago

Actually I can't see anything about licensing costs, just a program that approves the device you are building.

So I assume is it free if you build a product for it. Maybe they want to achieve world domination?

kelnos8y ago

The device SDK appears to be Apache2-licensed: https://github.com/alexa/avs-device-sdk/blob/master/LICENSE....

... so I guess at no cost?

marcosscriven8y ago

I can understand the SDK being free, it would seem strange to me that a commercial product could actually plug in to the service for free, and without limits.

3 more replies

snitch1828y ago

Want one. Now. My daughter would freak on christmas.

schnevets8y ago

I wonder if the finished product is smart enough to distinguish between Alexa "speaking" and playing audio. It would be really annoying to constantly hear those gears moving while listening to music.

On the other hand, I'd love to code the pi to randomly make the eyes blink and move on occasion.

fhood8y ago

I'm interested in how the author got the sound working. I would have thought that external usb dacs would work just fine, as they seem to be plug and play compatible with just about everything, but apparently that isn't the case. Could somebody elaborate?

skate228y ago

Science has gone too far

6590878y ago

Sounds like a great way to train children to interact with and trust corporate mass surveillance because it's "cute" and "fun".

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

26 comments

joezydeco8y ago

"Furby is comprised of a few primary components -- a microprocessor covered in black resin (to protect Tiger Electronics' intellectual property)"

Wishful thinking. It's chip-on-board technology, which lowers the cost of the final product. In the toy business, every penny counts.

Anyone can decap a chip package these days, the COB resin is not any more secure.

https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/how-chip-on-boards-are-...

http://www.ue.com.hk/index.php/Saving_Cost_-_Bare_Die_Assemb...

theseanstewart8y ago

During the video he says, "Furlexa, tell me about furbies". My echo dot heard this and proceeded to tell me about Herpes.

Danihan8y ago

That's because the results are personalized.. ;p

iicc8y ago

Disappointed that it doesn't lip-sync (like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRxhgxH6FUI)

sircastor8y ago

runj__8y ago

It would be really cool if it modulated the Alexa voice to sound like a Furby too!

k__8y ago

And if the mouth would be more aligned with the talking, but the engine is probably not strong enough.

But it seems that the echo-light is somehow coupled to the eyes, which is nice.

davidkuhta8y ago

This would be awesome to do with one of Hasbro's "Furbacca".

fenwick678y ago

It's crazy to me that these things have only one motor that controls their eyelids, ears, mouth and their base.

dpflan8y ago

[I am now imagining the Star Trek episode "The Trouble with Tribbles" where all tribbles are Alexa wrappers... X_x save me!]

QAPereo8y ago

It would be a security nightmare and you’d be targeting kids.

dpflan8y ago

Hm, yeah, maybe a DIY or Kit is better than full-fledged product. But is it just as bad as giving your child an iPad with Siri?

1 more reply

marcosscriven8y ago

Cute. Playing the video constantly had my own Amazon Echo answering the same questions.

It's not clear how much the Alexa Voice Service would cost in a commercial product?

ccozan8y ago

Actually I can't see anything about licensing costs, just a program that approves the device you are building.

So I assume is it free if you build a product for it. Maybe they want to achieve world domination?

kelnos8y ago

The device SDK appears to be Apache2-licensed: https://github.com/alexa/avs-device-sdk/blob/master/LICENSE....

... so I guess at no cost?

marcosscriven8y ago

I can understand the SDK being free, it would seem strange to me that a commercial product could actually plug in to the service for free, and without limits.

3 more replies

snitch1828y ago

Want one. Now. My daughter would freak on christmas.

schnevets8y ago

I wonder if the finished product is smart enough to distinguish between Alexa "speaking" and playing audio. It would be really annoying to constantly hear those gears moving while listening to music.

On the other hand, I'd love to code the pi to randomly make the eyes blink and move on occasion.

fhood8y ago

skate228y ago

Science has gone too far

6590878y ago

Sounds like a great way to train children to interact with and trust corporate mass surveillance because it's "cute" and "fun".

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse