Speech to Text for Automation for an Echo alarm?

[beedix (Ben Dixon)]

Background on a use case that will ultimately not work with Alexa as I had hoped. Spawning a separate thread to see if a existing or better path might exist.

I use a bedside alexa to set my morning alarm which isn’t constantly the same time. And I wanted to automate 30 minutes before the set alarm and not when the alarm goes off. Since I verbally set the alarm before I go to bed and alexa won’t expose the alarm set time, I have an idea which with the community, may already be solved. Thought I would run it by.

SO my idea is to use the cloud speech to text engines in parallel (or even in place) of Alexa. Something along these lines:

1. Small linux device (pi, etc) with a microphone input sitting near where you give your alarm command.
2. Write a program that listens over the mic 24/7, during a time period, based on a well trained key word, or by a button. Cost+Paranoia drives this decision.
3. Send captured audio to one of several cloud API speech to text services.
4. Receive text file response back which includes the time setting.
5. Using a network service, pump your event over to smartthings device. App\device as needed to wrap the capability such that the event can be responded to.

There are many of cloud API services for this. Google is probably the popular choice, but there may be better\cheaper or ones that are less likely to hold on to your data. With good on\off control (training, button, otherwise), google is free up to 60 minutes and really cheap after that.

There are a bunch of python examples out there with code examples…some seem better with regard to normalizing noise and reducing audio submissions. This doesn’t eliminate the Alexa value and may only be beneficial for this use case, but you could certainly do Speech to text “smart control” for anything.

Thoughts? Simpler approach?

[TonyFleisher]

@tonesto7 Do you think echo speaks devices could get a view of timers or alarms that are set?

[tonesto7 (Anthony S.)]

A view as in add them as tiles to the device?

[tonesto7 (Anthony S.)]

@beedix @TonyFleisher

I already collect the alarm and timer info I just never built it out beyond creating alarms and reminders

[JDRoberts]

Wasn’t @bamarayne talking about A similar alarm clock use case for “Echosistant” like a week ago?

I’m sick this week, though, and I don’t remember exactly where it was.

[JDRoberts]

Found it!

How can I schedule a morning wake up routine for Alexa?

I know… It took me a little while, But I’ve got exactly what you are wanting. Using EchoSistant, you can say the following and have actions performed. Actions such as ~ perform routines, wake up your Echo’s and say whatever you want them too, run pistons, or just send a message to an echo or a speaker. you can do this by saying any of the following: Alexa, turn on the lights in 5 minutes in the office Alexa, turn on the lights in 3 hours in the office Alexa, turn on the lights in 3 hours and 5 minutes in the office Alexa, turn on the lights FOR 25 minutes (lights will turn on immediately and then turn off in 25 minutes) Alexa, turn on the lights AT 6:45 a.m. in office The above commands can be used with individual devices, groups of devices, messages, Logic blocks, WebCore Piston…

[beedix (Ben Dixon)]

I’m not familiar with your work, but I’ll dig. If you visually or otherwise reflect any existing alarm’s set time, that’s interesting!

[bamarayne (Jason "The Enabler" as deemed so by @Smart)]

@JDRoberts

Wasn’t @bamarayne talking about A similar alarm clock use case for “Echosistant” like a week ago?

Actually, yes, and I have a very easy working solution.

I hope you feel better @JDRoberts

[JDRoberts]

@bamarayne

I hope you feel better @JDRoberts

I will, thanks. It’s a minor cold, but it’s kicked up an exacerbation of my underlying condition. That’s all normal with autoimmune conditions, just annoying.

Is It a Cold, the Flu, or an MS Relapse?

[beedix (Ben Dixon)]

@tonesto7

@beedix @TonyFleisher

I already collect the alarm and timer info I just never built it out beyond creating alarms and reminders

I think Your Echo Speak path might be my most viable route since I’m on Hubitat at the moment. In November my ST hub IDE\cloud ended up in a state that well, renders it a door stop for the time being. Smart things seems to have taken a support hiatus.

I see your handler has functions for getting a list of alarm notifications as you mentioned and this is exactly what I’d like access to. I’ll have to install and play with it, but I suspect I can scan the list at night and then one way or another either in rule machine or a custom app watch for the alexaNotifications event and integrate a 30 minute offset to trigger my mode changing app.

I love the EchoSistant capabilities as well from reading through and see how it has a nice voice enabled method to create an alarm. I have not yet tapped into the full power of echo…still setting up the critical basics for automation. Not sure about the hubitat portability of EchoSistant or if ST will ever support will ever return, but look forward to looking at alexa options soon. Since porting is so easy, I’ll be looking into this option as well.

[bamarayne (Jason "The Enabler" as deemed so by @Smart)]

@beedix

I love the EchoSistant capabilities as well from reading through and see how it has a nice voice enabled method to create an alarm. I have not yet tapped into the full power of echo…still setting up the critical basics for automation. Not sure about the hubitat portability of EchoSistant or if ST will ever support will ever return, but look forward to looking at alexa options soon. Since porting is so easy, I’ll be looking into this option as well.

When you get ready to tackle the voice part of it, let me know. I should be able to help you out with EchoSistant. Though, it is not available on Hubitat and I can’t imagine that will be available over there anytime in the future.