If you’ve ever wanted to bring a little bit of 2001: A Space Odyssey into your house, then you should appreciate this Raspberry Pi-based Hal 9000 project by maker Cheat_Steve10. It looks just like Hal from the 1968 sci-fi classic, but, thankfully, it doesn’t quite function like the original.
Some of the best Raspberry Pi projects provide multiple features, and this Hal 9000 recreation does just that. The most notable function is its voice control support which operates with the help of Alexa Voice Service (AVS). In addition to talking back, it also acts as a Samba NAS device for managing data.
A Raspberry Pi 3B model was used as the mainboard for the project. A PAM8403 amplifier was necessary to get audio output, while a USB microphone allows audio to be recorded. An old lens was fitted into the housing with a red LED in the center to complete the look. According to Cheat_Steve10, he still had to make a cap for the lens because it was too eerie when left on at night.
Software-wise, the setup isn’t too complicated. Cheat_Steve10 claimed to use Raspbian, but there’s no reason this configuration wouldn’t work with the latest Raspberry Pi OS. The AVS setup is handled by the AVS Device SDK Sample App, while the NAS tools are managed by Samba.
To get a closer look at this creepy (yet awesome) Pi project, check out the original Reddit thread and be sure to follow Cheat_Steve10 for more updates.
