Bastler gives Alexa a face – and would have preferred not to

Alexa is Amazon’s cloud-based voice service. And so far, communication with the assistant has also worked well on a neutral and pure verbal level.

However, this communication was not lively enough for the hobbyist Thomas Burns and his team – and therefore they decided to breathe some life into the Amazon product.

Numerous science fiction films show them: the artificial intelligence that can show sensations and is part of our everyday life. Alexa has certainly played a large part in everyday life for some people.

However, the emotional closeness to the product is still missing. Most devices with built-in smart assistants give their owners some sort of visual feedback on what they’re hearing.

However, Burns believes that when a moving mouth exists, users are much more likely to feel like they are interacting with an actual being.

So Thomas Burns assembled a tube TV and some moving eyes to make Alexa look more approachable. On the Youtube channel workshop nation the hobbyist is dedicated to researching vintage electronics and old technologies.

For this reason, no modern technology was used for the makeover. Instead, Burns uses an old tube TV as a mouth, on which sounds from Alexa are displayed as a waveform.

Alexa doesn’t have a real mouth either, but at least the hobbyist has created the desired, more visual feedback for the assistant’s answers.

Thomas Burns made the eyes using a 3D printer. The design of the eyes is inspired by the Will Cogley channel.

The YouTube channel is all about the fusion of mechanics, electronics and artistic creativity. With the help of just six micro servomotors, the eyes can now produce lifelike movements. Burns got the result in a video divided:

In the final construction, aesthetic concerns were pushed aside in favor of an artistic and retrofuturistic work.

It’s certainly debatable whether Alexa is now more empathetic or whether it has gotten a creepy touch. Because maybe you don’t want to be watched by your Amazon product at home.

Even the internet isn’t entirely in agreement on how to find the new Alexa. Comments range from “this is a masterpiece” to “more or less creepy pretty much sums it up”.

But Alexa may not only be involved in this new look as a language assistant, but also as a security system to deter burglars.

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