Say Hello to Lori, My Personal Voice Assistant Bot

In this blog I will be discussing my learning experience with MIT App Inventor, what I have learned, and share resources that helped me get to this point. Share some emotions during my learning experience as well sharing my ChatGPT experience.

"Hey there! So, I've been working on this really cool speaking robot prototype, and I decided to name it Lori. Lori is super smart and can speak to you as well as provide you with all sorts of useful information by searching the web using Google.

Now, let me tell you, getting to this point was not easy. However, with videos from the MIT App Inventor learning center and videos from Krishna on MIT APP Inventor were so helpful. I was a bit lost at first, but I was able to grasp the fundamentals and get started on developing my very first app and everything I have been able to do is because of these videos. Quick shout out to Krishna, this young man has a very bright future ahead of him. I mean, this guy already has 11.6K followers - talk about impressive!

As I started on my first project, I found myself getting lost. As I was trying to add components without first really understanding them and making sure they were modified correctly before creating the blocks. That's when I stumbled upon this video by Krishna and two on the MIT website that really helped me out. Krishna's video, "Create a Voice Assistant/Chat Bot AI II MIT App Inventor II Text to Speech + Speech," was a game-changer for me. I followed step-by-step instructions and before I knew it, my robot was up and running!

https://youtu.be/gzPR4xUXmEo

Now, don't get me wrong, even with a working mobile app, I still found it challenging to play around with the blocks and organize them the way I want. I definitely still needed more instruction on this. That's why I watched two MIT App Inventor tutorial videos, "Talk to Me (part 1 and 2)," and "MIT App Inventor Tutorial" where these lovely ladies went at a slower pace and really helped me understand the fundamentals.

Part 1: https://youtu.be/Vdo8UdkgDD8

Part 2: https://youtu.be/0hikoCvM3oc

As you can tell, I did not use my current AR prototype from my Adobe Aero. I am developing a voice assistant.  A voice assistant that will respond to speech recognition and provide verbal and nonverbal responses.  Currently, in my nonverbal responses, it provides you with the information you are asking for, and searching Google to provide you with information, similar to what our world renowned voice assistant -Alexa provides.

But I'm not done yet! I'm already thinking about changing Lori's voice, adding sensor interactions, and possibly either a map option or another media option depending on the difficulty. Although let's be honest, I think I'm already ahead of the game since I created the app before even outlining my goals and objectives. I know my personal voice assistant - Lori will not compete with Alexa, but I do appreciate what coders have done with this AI tool and how it has helped billions of people with their daily lives.

Can't wait to see what I can do with Lori next!"

Here is my video intro on what I learned and the description of my project.

Specific Prompts to ask Lori while using the app.

1. Start by typing your name and clicking save

2. Then click the microphone and say "How are you."

3. Click on the microphone and say "Who is your creator? OR " Who created you?"

4. Click on the microphone and ask any questions you would like, probably short so that Lori can find them in Google and provide you with information.

Video of me and Lori interacting

QR Code for you to play and interact with Lori.

Before embarking on this project, I was filled with a sense of anticipation and excitement, eager to build my first app.  At first, I thought the program itself looked easy, but I was surprised at how wrong I was.  The videos presented were obvious that a kid could do this, so why not an adult.  So, I felt humbled. This learning activity had a multitude of feelings, feeling of excitement and optimism in the beginning, yet I experienced anxiety, frustration, and disappointment.  As I embarked on my first project and after trying to get it right for 4-6 hours, I decided to start all over again.  And this is where I got better.

 As I worked on the app "Lori", I was more attentive in starting and ending a step without bouncing around from component to component and block to block. I found that starting slow and finishing each task was more satisfying and had less anxiety as I progress. Upon finishing my current stage in the app, a weight was lifted from my shoulders, and I felt a sense of satisfaction and pride of once again, achieving something I have never done before. Reflecting on my utilization of ChatGPT assistance, I was not impressed this time, as I tried to use it to give me instructions on how to use the app, and it provided very basic, but not really useful information and instructions.  This was during my first project where I couldn't figure out how to get it to work and that is also a reason why I decided to start all over.

ChatGPT experience

My specific prompts used for this portion of the assignment were:

-how do you allow voice recognition in MIT App Inventor 2?

I also first wrote my own experience with the app and was going to use it for my video.  But I didn't sound as exciting, so I decided to re-write with the help of ChatGPT.

- can you please re-write this verbal presentation with more engaging verbal responses?

This is what you see in the front portion of the blog and still had to do some editing if it.

I have seen a slight change in me using ChatGPT, when I first started this course and as it was introduced to me, I was very encouraged to use it and I found it very valuable, but as we have transitioned to more hands-on applications, the use of ChatGPT have been minimal and thus re-enforced not to depend on it.

In conclusion, the learning resources are there for anyone to learn a new skill, I have learned in this class and segment that I do have technical curiosities, but not that of a coder.  Follow Krishna's videos and also videos from the MIT APP Inventor as well. My intent is to continue to expand Lori's capabilities as a voice assistant bot.  Haven't decided yet, but considering changing Lori's voice if it's possible, and adding some sensor options, mapping functions, or more media options to enhance the experience.

Have a great day!

Ryan