Build your own Google Home with the Raspberry Pi AIY kit

Alexa, meet the Google Cardboard of voice assistants. The big ‘G’ has teamed up with Raspberry Pi to help tinkerers build their own screenless, disembodied version of the internet, with the AIY Projects kit. AIY? That stands for ‘Artificial Intelligence Yourself’, which isn’t a cue for a self-lobotomy, but rather the name of the kit that came with physical copies of issue 57 of MagPi. This includes a Google Voice accessory board, stereo mic board, some wires and that massive arcade button, all of which need to be added to a Raspberry Pi 3 (not included). Yep, you’ll need to press that button to ask your budget Home questions, but this is still a voice assistant for about £40. And the good news is it’s now available to pre-order from Pimoroni, Micro Center and Adafruit – get a shifty on though, they’re selling out fast. 

Mark Wilson Features editor

About

Mark's first review for Stuff was the Nokia N-Gage in 2004. Luckily, his career lasted a little longer than the taco phone, and he's been trying to figure out how gadgets fit back into their boxes ever since. While his 'Extreme Mark Wilson' persona was retired following a Microsoft skydiving incident, this means he can often be spotted in the wilds of South West London testing action cams, drones and smartwatches, and occasionally cursing at them.

Areas of expertise

Smart home tech, cameras, wearables and obscure gadgets from the early 2000s.