In a move to rapidly expand the ecosystem of Google Assistant, Google has released its developer preview SDK (Software Development Kit) to 3rd party developers. Now, they can use the Google Assistant to build smart gadgets.
“Today, we’re taking another step towards building out that ecosystem by introducing the developer preview of the Google Assistant SDK. With this SDK you can now start building your own hardware prototypes that include the Google Assistant, like a self-built robot or a voice-enabled smart mirror. This allows you to interact with the Google Assistant from any platform,” announced Google in a blog post.
Google Assistant was initially released to Google Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones last year and was later released to Android Nougat/Marshmallow devices and Android Wear. Android TV and Android Auto are also announced to soon support Google Assistant. The SDK will help developers build their own Google Assistant-based hardware. Developers can build anything from robots and smart mirrors to mocktails mixers by integrating Google Assistant right into their hardware.
The developers would be able to use ‘Actions on Google’ API to create their own voice commands and response to control local devices. These commands are sent to the developer software in the form of text allowing them to be seen and get an appropriate reaction.
The Google Assistant in smart devices can be invoked by the ‘OK Google’ hot word and by using the ‘button’, same as you invoke the Assistant in Android smartphones.
The SDK allows the developers to capture verbal commands such as ‘Do I have any appointments tomorrow’, ‘what’s the weather out there’, and more. These commands can then be passed through the Google Assistant service and received audio response can be played through the loudspeakers.
As this is a developer preview, so many features are still under development. It currently includes documentation and samples, Python open source client and gRCP API for handling the access and authentication.
To get started, Google recommends using a Raspberry Pi 3 model B running NOOBS OS on an SD card, power supply, a USB mic, and a speaker. You may also want to have a USB keyboard, USB mouse, and a monitor with HDMI cable to simplify the initial hardware setup.
Google is also offering a guide on how to setup the hardware along with network access, configuring developer project, testing audio, and running sample code. There is also a ‘learn more’ section which is immensely helpful for the beginners.
Opening up the Google Assistant SDK to 3rd party developers will help expand the ecosystem of Google Assistant.
If you are a developer, then you can try to make a smart door device that unlocks the door with a combination of user’s Bluetooth device and his/her voice. Another example would be ‘smart baby monitor’ which can detect when the baby cries and sings pre-recorded lullabies in the parents’ voice.
Do share with us another cool gadgets ideas that you wish to see in the market.