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Alexa Doesn't Understand My Accent!

Last month I was faced with the annual daunting task of buying my dad (the man who has everything) a birthday gift. For weeks I racked my brain, asked around trying to think of the perfect gift to please my dad. Then it came to me...An Amazon Echo. Perfect! A new gadget for him to play with and show off to the rest of the family. 

Birthday arrived and he opened his present and for once actually expressed some level of excitement at the gift I had successfully chosen. So we set it up, I say a few commands and encourage my dad to have a try. Oh dear... Alexa doesn't understand my dad’s thick Iranian accent. To my amusement and my dad’s utter dismay we searched for an answer on how to get my dad’s birthday gift to understand his commands. 

After a bit of research, we soon learned that the engineers who designed the Amazon Echo actually installed the device with a total of 7 incredibly sensitive microphones. These tiny microphones are always listening for you to say the word "Alexa" whilst going about your everyday conversations. 

To some people that might be slightly unnerving. However in our circumstance, it actually had its benefits! Here’s why…

If you really want to get the most out of Alexa, then you need to teach her how to understand and recognize your voice. To improve her abilities of speech recognition, download for free the Alexa App for Android and iOS.

Once it has been installed on your phone go to Menu > Settings > Voice Training. This might take some time but all you will need is to read aloud 25 phrases for Alexa to listen and understand the way you speak. If this begins to get a little tiring, you have the freedom of pausing and returning to the task at your own leisure.

This simple hack saved the day and Alexa, unlike the rest of my family can now understand my Dad.

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Want to try something new? Why not check out our Pi & Pi-Top Pulse Bundle (146-6431) . You can even add Alexa voice assist! 

What is in the Raspberry Pi & Pi-Top Pulse Kit?

• Raspberry Pi 3 B Computer Board RS (896-8660)  
• pi-topPULSE RS (136-7934)  
• Official microUSB Power Supply Unit RS (909-8126)  
• 16 GB micro-SD card with NOOBS operating system RS (121-3897)  

Raspberry Pi 3 (Model B)

Raspberry Pi 3 has more processing power and now includes wireless connectivity directly on the PCB. With both WiFi and Bluetooth integrated into the Pi 3, it makes connected projects far quicker and easier than ever before.

pi-topPULSE Smart Speaker with LED Matrix

pi-topPULSE is an add-on board designed to build STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) based projects with music, lights and sound. It features an LED matrix, speaker and microphone to help design your own projects. For example; light shows, pixel games, Tamagotchi and cloud-based voice services, with Amazon Alexa.

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Save money when you purchase this Pi 3 Bundle from RS Components for a limited time only! Offer valid until October 31st. Click the link below!

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Advertising & Marketing Graduate with a love for all things superhero with a side helping of Harry Potter. Currently working as Marketing Executive at RS components in the Product Marketing team where i get to tell the world what RS is all about. After a long hard working day at the office i love to fund-raise and volunteer supporting adults with learning disabilities in the local area.
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