# Alexa Published articles for Alexa. This is one page of public article previews, not the complete archive. Follow Next page to continue. Summaries are not the original full articles. ## Scrypted Connects Cameras to Home Hubs DevFeed: [Scrypted Connects Cameras to Home Hubs]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Techno Tim Published: 2023-05-13T15:00:00Z Content type: tutorial Language: en Sources: [Techno Tim]() Topics: [Home Assistant](), [webcam](), [Open Source](), [Automation]() Tags: [alexa](), [automation](), [camera](), [devices](), [google-home](), [home-assistant](), [homekit](), [hub](), [integration](), [open-source](), [self-hosted](), [stream](), [unifi](), [unifi-cameras]() ### AI overview This article presents Scrypted, open source software hosted on a local machine that connects cameras from various manufacturers to home hubs such as Apple HomeKit, Google Home, Alexa, and Home Assistant. It describes how this can enable hub features including notifications and automation without replacing existing cameras. ### Source excerpt Meet Scrypted an Open Source app that will let you connect almost any camera to any home hub, certified or not! You can connect popular devices from UniFi, Amcrest, Hikvision, Nest & Google, Tuya, Reolink, and many others to your home hub of choice, whether that be Apple's HomeKit, Google Home, Alexa, or even Home Assistant.This lets you choose and reuse your own devices and take advantage... ## How to Improve User Experience (and Behavior): Three Papers from Stanford's Alexa Prize Team DevFeed: [How to Improve User Experience (and Behavior): Three Papers from Stanford's Alexa Prize Team]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: A Href; Amelia Hardy; Haojun Li; Abigail See Published: 2022-02-01T08:00:00Z Content type: article Language: en Sources: [The Stanford AI Lab Blog]() Topics: [User Experience](), [Bot](), [Chat Bot](), [Language models](), [Open Source]() Tags: [alexa](), [chat](), [code](), [developers](), [experience](), [language-models](), [modular](), [neural](), [scripted]() ### AI overview This article presents research from Stanford's Alexa Prize team on improving user experience and behavior in socialbot conversations. It discusses user dissatisfaction, responses to offensive behavior, and how conversational control can be balanced between users and bots. The Chirpy Cardinal socialbot uses a modular combination of neural generation and scripted dialogue to support broad, open-domain conversations. ### Source excerpt Introduction In 2019, Stanford entered the Alexa Prize Socialbot Grand Challenge 3 for the first time, with its bot Chirpy Cardinal, which went on to win 2nd place in the competition. In our previous post, we discussed the technical structure of our socialbot and how developers can use our open-source code to develop their own. In this post we share further research conducted while developing Chirpy Cardinal to discover common pain points that users encounter when interacting with socialbots, and strategies for addressing them. The Alexa Prize is a unique research setting, as it allows researchers to study how users interact with a bot when doing so solely for their own motivations. During the competition, US-based Alexa users can say the phrase "let's chat" to speak in English to an anonymous and randomly-selected competing bot. They are free to end the conversation at any time. Since Alexa Prize socialbots are intended to create as natural an experience as possible, they should be capable of long, open-domain social conversations with high coverage of topics. We observed that Chirpy users were interested in many different subjects, from current events (e.g., the coronavirus) to pop culture (e.g., the movie Frozen 2) to personal interests (e.g,. their pets). Chirpy achieves its coverage of these diverse topics by using a modular design that combines both neural generation and scripted dialogue, as described in our previous post. We used this setting to study three questions about socialbot conversations: What do users complain about, and how can we learn from the complaints to improve neurally generated dialogue? What strategies are effective and ineffective in handling and deterring offensive user behavior? How can we shift the balance of power, such that both users and the bot are meaningfully controlling the conversation? We've published papers on each of these topics at SIGDIAL 2021 and in this post, we'll share key findings which provide practical insights for ## ESP RainMaker now in Arduino DevFeed: [ESP RainMaker now in Arduino]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: John Lee Published: 2021-06-14T00:00:00Z Content type: release Language: en Sources: [Blog on Developer Portal]() Topics: [Arduino](), [Esp Rainmaker](), [ESP32](), [configuration](), [Provisioning]() Tags: [alexa](), [android](), [arduino](), [blog](), [esp-rainmaker](), [esp32](), [espressif](), [google](), [ios](), [provisioning](), [rainmaker](), [wi-fi]() ### AI overview ESP RainMaker support is now available in Arduino, with a sample smart-switch sketch. The article explains Wi-Fi provisioning, RainMaker cloud connectivity, local network commands, device state callbacks, supported device types, and current ESP32 compatibility limitations. ### Source excerpt Since its launch in April 2020, we have been making quite some improvements to ESP RainMaker, mostly around the feature set. Along with that, we have also been making efforts to make developer on-boarding easier. The ESP IDF Windows Installer and the Eclipse and VSCode integrations especially have been useful for a lot of developers. ## July 2020: ESP RainMaker Adds ESP32 Support and New IoT Platform Features DevFeed: [July 2020: ESP RainMaker Adds ESP32 Support and New IoT Platform Features]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: John Lee Published: 2020-07-27T00:00:00Z Content type: news Language: en Sources: [Blog on Developer Portal]() Topics: [Esp Rainmaker](), [ESP32](), [Espressif](), [Esp32 S2](), [Internet of things](), [Command-line interface](), [VS Code Extension]() Tags: [alexa](), [ble](), [blog](), [esp-rainmaker](), [esp32](), [esp32-s2](), [espressif](), [instagram](), [integrations](), [iot](), [newsletter](), [ota](), [vscode]() ### AI overview Espressif's July 2020 update announces ESP RainMaker support for ESP32 in addition to ESP32-S2. It also describes BLE-based Wi-Fi provisioning, voice integrations, OTA firmware upgrades, mobile application resources, and a VSCode extension, alongside news about a wildlife protection donation. ### Source excerpt Hi everyone, You might remember that a rather short while ago we launched ESP RainMaker, Espressif's end-to-end platform which enables makers to realize their IoT ideas faster and without the hassle of managing the infrastructure involved in this process. Today, we are pleased to announce that we have recently added a number of features to this platform. So, ESP RainMaker now supports ESP32 too, on top of ESP32-S2, with which our end-to-end platform was initially launched. ## 3rd Party Integrations in ESP RainMaker DevFeed: [3rd Party Integrations in ESP RainMaker]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: John Lee Published: 2020-06-30T00:00:00Z Content type: tutorial Language: en Sources: [Blog on Developer Portal]() Topics: [Esp Rainmaker](), [Internet of things](), [Google](), [Code]() Tags: [alexa](), [blog](), [code](), [devices](), [esp-rainmaker](), [espressif](), [github](), [google-assistant](), [google-home](), [integrations](), [iot](), [rainmaker](), [smart-home](), [smartphones](), [voice]() ### AI overview This article explains how ESP RainMaker integrates with Alexa and Google Voice Assistant. It describes how RainMaker device types and parameters map to the assistants' device formats and capabilities, then outlines the code and setup steps for controlling supported devices. ### Source excerpt IoT, in general, has come a long away. During the very early stage, there was browser based control and monitoring, which, though more convenient than non-IoT devices, had a very narrow market. With the advent of Smartphones, IoT devices became much more easier to use and mass adoption became a possibility. However, the real push was given by the advent of various eco-systems and Voice assistants like Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant. ## What Does Snark to our Alexas Teach Our Kids DevFeed: [What Does Snark to our Alexas Teach Our Kids]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Fuzzygroup Published: 2019-10-28T00:00:00Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [Scott Johnson]() Topics: [digital]() Tags: [alexa](), [blog-post](), [digital](), [gender](), [google-home](), [manners]() ### AI overview The author reflects on how parents' treatment of voice assistants such as Alexa and Google Home may influence children's attitudes toward female voices. The post argues for modeling respectful language while acknowledging that gendered assistant voices raise a separate issue. ### Source excerpt You would think by now that I'd be wise enough to capture the speaker as well as the slide when I take a photo; alas not; sigh. Last week I saw Daniel Wilson speak over at Butler University. Daniel is the author of Robopocalypse, Robogenesis, How to Survive a Robot Uprising, Where's My Jetpack and many other good bits of science fiction. There were two surprising things in his presentation: He was funny. As someone who has written some pretty dark stuff, I was astonished at just how funny he was. "I asked my fellow Carnegie Mellon robotics folks what they'd to if the robots rose up and they all said the same thing - 1) Go to a staircase and go up one step and 2) wait for it to run out of batteries". And then, with input like that, he made a damn book out of it! Respect. He was surprisingly gender aware which is what I really want to talk about here. This second point is the focus of this blog post. He is raising small children and he and his wife are teaching them to be respectful to their Alexa and / or Google Home by saying "please" and "thank you" to it. This is interesting. His basic point boils down to this: Digital assistants tend to have female voices (there's a reason for this but its irrelevant for now) What does it teach his son (or daughter) if they regularly hear Dad saying "Alexa Shut the F up!" Cursing at Alexa, for me, is a bit of a dirty pleasure. And this is particularly true when it is is an early morning alarm and I don't want got get up. But I am now painfully aware that maybe I shouldn't do this - what am I teaching my youngest about how to interact with female voices? Deep, Deep Sigh. And Thank You to Daniel Wilson for such an interesting, funny talk. His writings are definitely recommended. Note: I don't want to get get into the gender issues around why we use assistive voices that are female and imperative voices that are male. That is a different issue entirely. And thanks to Lisa Meece of Starbase Indy fame for pointing this out to me and i ## Alexa DevFeed: [Alexa]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: John Lee Published: 2018-10-24T00:00:00Z Content type: article Language: en Sources: [Blog on Developer Portal]() Topics: [SDKs](), [Espressif](), [Bluetooth](), [Internet of things](), [SOC](), [Amazon Web Services]() Tags: [alexa](), [apps](), [aws-iot](), [blog](), [bluetooth](), [developers](), [devices](), [dsp](), [embedded](), [esp32](), [espressif](), [iot](), [local](), [music](), [sdk](), [soc](), [technology](), [voice]() ### AI overview This archival article describes Espressif's Alexa SDKs for building Alexa-enabled devices with embedded microphones and speakers. It covers Alexa Voice Services support for speakers and an AVS integration for smart devices using AWS IoT, including voice and device-data exchange. The project is no longer actively maintained. ### Source excerpt This project is no longer actively maintained. The information in this article is provided for archival and reference purposes only, and developers are encouraged to explore Espressif's latest solutions for voice-enabled applications. Espressif's Alexa SDK makes building Alexa-powered devices a breeze. These devices have microphones and speaker embedded within the device to provide the full Alexa experience. ## Espressif's Alexa SDK v1.0b1! DevFeed: [Espressif's Alexa SDK v1.0b1!]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: John Lee Published: 2018-09-24T00:00:00Z Content type: release Language: en Sources: [Blog on Developer Portal]() Topics: [SDKs](), [Espressif](), [ESP32](), [C](), [Android](), [Authentication](), [Network Configuration](), [Hardware]() Tags: [alexa](), [amazon](), [android](), [authentication](), [blog](), [c](), [esp32](), [espressif](), [framework](), [hardware](), [iot](), [network-configuration](), [release](), [sdk](), [v1]() ### AI overview Espressif announces the availability of Alexa SDK v1.0b1, a low-footprint C-based SDK for ESP32-LyraT development boards. It supports Alexa conversations, music and audio services, alerts, hands-free operation, and an Android phone app for network configuration and Amazon authentication. ### Source excerpt The Espressif's Alexa SDK v1.0b1 is now available on github here: This is a low-footprint C-based SDK that includes support for all of the following features: - Conversations (Calendar, Shopping, News, Todo, Info, Movies, Sports) - Music/Audio Services : Amazon Prime Music, Audible, Kindle, TuneIn and iHeartRadio - Alerts : Alarms, Timers, Reminders and Notifications Supported Hardware# By default, the SDK supports ESP32-LyraT development boards. ## Anatomy of a Voice-Integrated Device DevFeed: [Anatomy of a Voice-Integrated Device]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: John Lee Published: 2018-08-12T00:00:00Z Content type: article Language: en Sources: [Blog on Developer Portal]() Topics: [Hardware](), [ESP32](), [Algorithms, Complexity](), [Wi-Fi]() Tags: [alexa](), [audio](), [blog](), [connectivity](), [dsp](), [embedded](), [esp32](), [framework](), [hardware](), [interface](), [speakers](), [voice](), [voice-assistant](), [wi-fi]() ### AI overview This article explains the internal components and audio-processing path of a voice-integrated device using Alexa as an example. It describes local wake-word detection, cloud processing of the remaining command, and hardware options including ESP32, connectivity processors, digital signal processors, microphones, and speakers. ### Source excerpt Recently I have seen significant interest from OEMs in embedding voice assistants, like Alexa, directly into their products. Not just linking with a voice-assistant using a cloud to cloud integration, but by having the product itself be voice-enabled (with microphones and speakers). For example, a washing machine with a voice interface for starting it, or a smart switch with "Echo" embedded into it. Let us have a quick look at the internal components of a typical Voice-Integrated device. ## Running Alexa CPP SDK on ESP32 DevFeed: [Running Alexa CPP SDK on ESP32]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: John Lee Published: 2018-05-18T00:00:00Z Content type: article Language: en Sources: [Blog on Developer Portal]() Topics: [ESP32](), [SDKs](), [C++](), [software-development]() Tags: [alexa](), [blog](), [cpp](), [esp32](), [framework](), [github](), [hardware](), [http](), [sdk](), [software](), [spiram](), [thread](), [threads](), [tls]() ### AI overview The article describes Espressif's effort to port Amazon's Alexa C++ SDK to the ESP32 and launch a beta preview. It reports that the ESP32 hardware and software framework supported the demanding workload, which used 47 threads, audio buffers, two TLS connections, and substantial external SPI memory. ### Source excerpt Back in late 2017, when Amazon launched their C++ SDK for Alexa, we thought it would be fun to port the SDK on ESP32. It not only will showcase the powerful development tools and execution environment that ESP32 currently has, but it will also be a great way to run Alexa on ESP32. We recently launched a beta preview of this Alexa on ESP32 on github. The Alexa C++ SDK is targetted for micro-processores, and is quite heavy to be run on micro-controllers. ## How to Manage Alexa Skills and Lambda Functions with Serverless Framework DevFeed: [How to Manage Alexa Skills and Lambda Functions with Serverless Framework]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Masashi Terui Published: 2018-01-08T00:00:00Z Content type: tutorial Language: en Sources: [Serverless Blog]() Topics: [serverless framework](), [Framework]() Tags: [alexa](), [aws](), [aws-lambda](), [cloud-computing](), [engineering](), [faas](), [framework](), [function-as-a-service](), [how-to](), [infrastructure-as-code](), [lambda](), [plugin](), [serverless](), [serverless-architecture](), [serverless-framework](), [skills]() ### AI overview A tutorial on managing Alexa Skills and Lambda functions with Serverless Framework and the Alexa Skills Plugin. ### Source excerpt How to manage Alexa Skills and Lambda functions with Serverless Framework + Alexa Skills Plugin ## Building & testing an Alexa skill with the Serverless Bespoken plugin DevFeed: [Building & testing an Alexa skill with the Serverless Bespoken plugin]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: John Kelvie Published: 2017-12-14T00:00:00Z Content type: tutorial Language: en Sources: [Serverless Blog]() Topics: [serverless framework](), [Framework](), [Testing]() Tags: [alexa](), [aws](), [aws-lambda](), [building](), [cloud-computing](), [engineering](), [faas](), [framework](), [function-as-a-service](), [infrastructure-as-code](), [plugin](), [serverless](), [serverless-architecture](), [serverless-framework](), [testing]() ### AI overview A developer article about building and testing an Alexa skill using the Serverless Framework and the Bespoken plugin. ### Source excerpt Building an Alexa skill is easier than you think! And it's even easier with the Serverless Framework and Bespoken plugin. ## Serverless v1.24 - Alexa Smart Home event source, Print content of resolved serverless config file DevFeed: [Serverless v1.24 - Alexa Smart Home event source, Print content of resolved serverless config file]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Philipp Müns Published: 2017-11-01T00:00:00Z Content type: release Language: en Sources: [Serverless Blog]() Topics: [serverless framework]() Tags: [alexa](), [aws](), [aws-lambda](), [bug-fixes](), [cloud-computing](), [faas](), [function-as-a-service](), [infrastructure-as-code](), [news](), [release](), [serverless](), [serverless-architecture](), [serverless-framework](), [smart-home](), [update]() ### AI overview The Serverless Framework v1.24 release adds an Alexa Smart Home event source, an update checker, enhancements, and bug fixes. ### Source excerpt Alexa Smart Home event source, update checker, enhancements, bug fixes and more added in the Serverless Framework v1.24 release. ## Parroting Bad Security Advice DevFeed: [Parroting Bad Security Advice]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Adam Published: 2017-09-22T00:00:00Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [Shostack & Friends Blog]() Topics: [Security](), [amazon]() Tags: [alexa](), [amazon](), [pin](), [request](), [security](), [voice](), [voice-assistant]() ### AI overview The article discusses an African Grey parrot that mimicked its owner's voice closely enough for an Amazon Echo using Alexa to accept an order for six gift boxes. It notes that requiring a PIN could have prevented the order, but the family had not enabled that protection. ### Source excerpt [no description provided] ## C# service template, Alexa event support, service-wide metrics in Serverless Framework v1.4 DevFeed: [C# service template, Alexa event support, service-wide metrics in Serverless Framework v1.4]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Philipp Müns Published: 2016-12-15T00:00:00Z Content type: release Language: en Sources: [Serverless Blog]() Topics: [serverless framework](), [Framework](), [Template]() Tags: [alexa](), [aws](), [aws-lambda](), [c-sharp](), [cloud-computing](), [event](), [faas](), [function-as-a-service](), [infrastructure-as-code](), [metrics](), [news](), [serverless](), [serverless-architecture](), [serverless-framework](), [v1]() ### AI overview A Serverless Framework v1.4 release announcement covering a C# service template, Alexa event support, and service-wide metrics. ### Source excerpt Introducing C# service template, Alexa event support, service-wide metrics & more in Serverless Framework v1.4 ## Alexa Toolbar and the Problem of Experiment Design DevFeed: [Alexa Toolbar and the Problem of Experiment Design]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Published: 2007-01-08T00:00:00Z Content type: article Language: en Sources: [Peter Norvig]() Topics: [Statistics](), [Internet](), [trust](), [data](), [Search engine optimization (SEO)]() Tags: [alexa](), [amazon](), [bias](), [https](), [internet](), [logs](), [party](), [ranking](), [search-engine-optimization](), [seo](), [statistics](), [trust]() ### AI overview The article examines whether Alexa traffic rankings accurately represent internet usage. It argues that the rankings are affected by selection bias because they measure users who installed the Alexa toolbar, a group that may be disproportionately interested in SEO, and illustrates the concern with comparisons between site logs and Alexa rankings. ### Source excerpt Can you trust statistics about internet usage?