For wake words and assigned commands, a machine learning pattern was downloaded in advance. After the installation that required a free developer account, the software could be operated completely offline. Snips.ai is or was an Python-based assistant, that combined voice recognition and output.

There are plenty of options - here's a little overview over some tools that I've checked out. I also wanted to install the software on a Raspberry Pi or a comparable mini computer that can be operated cost-efficiently 24/7.

The possibility to integration third-party applications using REST-API without complex programming was important to me. Read temperature and humidity sensors per room.In my scenario, the use-cases are simple: Self-construction is especially a good option if the amount of planned features is manageable and required functionality does not require too much compute power. The question is - what do you want to achieve with a self-made voice assistant? If you wan't to dictate mails, manage calendars or automative comprehensive online researches, you will face complex effort. Recognizing full sentences ( 'Hey, turn on the radio', 'Please turn on the radio') is a complex task - a better way is to leverage simple commands ( 'Turn on radio'). Also the compute capacity of a single-board computer is heavily limited in comparison. Siri, Alexa and other learn from billions of users every day - private assistants need to be content with the family as user basis. The reason for this is simple - commercial products have access to nearly inexhaustible compute power and uncountable user data. Offline voice assistants are available in various characteristics - but basically you need to keep in mind that local selfmade-siris can't compete with cloud-based pendants when talking about functionality. Using various open-source tools you can build your own simple voice assistant without cloud constraints - which might do the job in the most cases. Unfortunately, data privacy is often subordinated with these kind of gadgetry.

They support ad-hoc tasks ( set tee timer, announce outdoor temperature) and integrate flawlessly into home automation and other third-party systems. Voice assistants are omnipresent gadgets loved by technophile geeks.

Voice assistants for windows pc