Writing Alexa Voice Skills with NodeJS (with a little IoT)

1. Writing AlexaVoice
Skills With NodeJS
(with a little IoT)

2. David Janes
@dpjanes
davidjanes@iotdb.org
http://iotdb.org/social/imadeit/
October 2016

3. Introduction

4. Important Links
• Alexa Skills Console
https://developer.amazon.com/edw/
home.html#/skills/list
• Sample Code & Skill
https://github.com/dpjanes/homestar-alexa

5. Topics Covered
• Choosing an Architecture
• Creating a Skill
• Interaction Model
• Skills for the IoT
• Testing your Skill

6. Emphasis
• We'll focus on core concepts
• Intent, Slots, Utterances
• From definition to implementation

7. About IOTDB
• Open Source IoT Platform
• Based on Semantics
• Natural fit for voice control
• https://github.com/dpjanes/node-iotdb

8. Architecture

9. Many Moving Parts
• Home
• Amazon Echo
• IoT Device
• Iot Controller
• Amazon
• AlexaVoice Skill
• Cloud
• Skill Server
• Vendor Server
• Proxy Server

10. Typical AlexaVoice Skill
(hosted)

11. Typical AlexaVoice Skill
(AWS Lambda)

12. Cloud Based

13. Home Based

14. Proxy Based

15. This Presentation
• Focus on writing AlexaVoice Skill
• Communications between Cloud and your
Home will be "open"

16. e.g. mainly this

17. Creating
AlexaVoice Skills

18. e.g. here

19. Getting Started
• https://developer.amazon.com/edw/
home.html#/skills/list
• Create an Account if you don't have one
• will require SMS verification
• Select "Add a New Skill"

20. Alexa Skill Editor

21. Alexa Skill Editor
• We'll focus on
• Skill Information
• Interaction Model
• Configuration
• Test

22. Skill Editor:
Skill Information

23. Alexa Skill Editor

24. Creating New Skill:
Skill Information

25. Skill Information:
Skill Type
• Different types of Skills
• Custom: the most flexible
• Smart Home Skill: don't have to use the
"magic word" (the Invocation Name)
• Flash Briefing: news

26. Skill Information:
Skill Type
• What will appear in your Skills List
• What will appear in the App Store

27. Skill Information:
Invocation Name
• The "Magic Word"
• Alexa, ask HomeStar to …
• Alexa, tell HomeStar to …
• Not needed with Smart Home Skills

28. Skill Editor:
Interaction Model

30. This is the Cool Part
• The Interaction Model determines how
Alexa interprets your voice commands

31. Interaction Terminology
• Utterances
• Slots
• Intents

32. Utterances
• Step 1 in writing your AlexaVoice Skill
• Write down things you want to say
• Look for Patterns

33. Utterances
"Ask HomeStar…"
• turn on Stove
• turn off Stove
• turn on Light
• turn on Light in the
Kitchen
• turn off TV
• turn off Living Room TV
• turn off everything
• to turn off everything
• to turn off everything in
the Living Room
• turn down TV
• turn down TV in the
Living Room

34. Utterances
"Ask HomeStar…"
• turn on {Thing}
• turn off {Thing}
• turn on {Thing}
• turn on {Thing} in the
Kitchen
• turn off {Thing}
• turn off Living Room
{Thing}
• turn off {Thing}
• to turn off {Thing}
• to turn off {Thing} in the
Living Room
• turn down {Thing}

35. Utterances
"Ask HomeStar…"
• turn on {Thing}
• turn off {Thing}
• turn on {Thing}
• turn on {Thing} in the
{Zone}
• turn off {Thing}
• turn off {Zone} {Thing}
• turn off {Thing}
• to turn off {Thing}
• to turn off {Thing} in the
{Zone}
• turn down {Thing}
• turn down {Thing} in the
{Zone}

36. Utterances
"Ask HomeStar…"
• {Action} {Thing}
• {Action} {Thing}
• {Action} {Thing}
• {Action} {Thing} in the
{Zone}
• {Action} {Thing}
• {Action} {Zone} {Thing}
• {Action} {Thing}
• to {Action} {Thing}
• to {Action} {Thing} in
the {Zone}
• {Action} {Thing}
• {Action} {Thing} in the
{Zone}

37. Utterances
"Ask HomeStar…"
• {Action} {Thing}
• to {Action} {Thing}
• {Action} {Thing} in the
{Zone}
• to {Action} {Thing} in
the {Zone}
• {Action} {Zone} {Thing}
• to {Action} {Zone}
{Thing}

38. Slots
• These are the {variables} in the Utterances
• e.g. {Thing}, {Zone}, {Action}
• two types of slots:
• Custom (e.g. above)
• Built-In

39. Slots (Built-In)
• Date
• Duration
• Four Digit Number
• Number
• Time
• Cities…

40. Slots {Thing}
• lamp
• light
• coffee maker
• kettle
• stove
• tv…

41. Slots {Action}
• turn off
• turn on
• turn down
• turn up
• open
• close

42. Slots {Zone}
• Back Door
• Back Garden
• Back Hall
• Back Porch
• Basement
• Basement Bathroom…

43. Intents
• Basically, Intents are "phases" of your
conversation with Alexa
• If "single shot" then this isn't very
complicated - just define a "FirstIntent", e.g.
HomeStarFirst Intent

44. Putting it together

45. Putting it together

46. Skill Editor:
Configuration

48. Configuration:
Endpoint
• Two (major options)
• AWS Lambda
• Hosted - contacts a url
• Note the URL we are using - we'll see it
again soon

49. Configuration:
Account Linking
• Used for connecting to systems that have
accounts!
• E.g. Smart Homes - what Smart Home does
Alexa have to talk to
• Set up when user connects to Skill

50. Configuration:
Account Linking
• Alexa calls your Authorize URL with a
number of parameters
• Let the user do something on your website
to confirm it
• Your website redirects back to Alexa with a
number of magic parameters

51. Alexa Skill Endpoint /
Your Server

52. e.g. here

53. Sample Code
• url:
https://github.com/dpjanes/homestar-alexa/
• ./hosted/monitor_1.js

54. N.B.
• Alexa Skill is configured to hit
https://alexa.homestar.io/request
• You must use HTTPS
• Amazon provides flexibility in certs

55. Sample Code (1)

56. Demo (1)
"monitor_1.js"

57. The Request

58. The Request
• "session"
• a session of interactions (captured in
Intents) between user and Alexa
• user login info (from Account Linking)
• "request"
• the Intent and Slot data

59. The Request
"session"

60. The Request
"session"
• "new": we can be continuing a session
• "sessionId": in case you are, for logging
• "user": all this is set up by Account Linking
• not required if just for yourself

61. The Request
"request"

62. The Request
"request"
• "type"
• "locale"
• "intent"

63. The Request
"request/intent"
• "name"
• "slots"
• Action / Query / Zone / Thing
• We defined these!

64. The Request
"request/intent"
• "request/intent/slots/Action/value":
the {{ Action }}
• "request/intent/slots/Thing/value":
the {{ Thing }}

65. The Response

66. The Response
• "response/outputSpeech/text":
this is what Alexa will say to the user
• "response/shouldEndSession":
make false if you want to keep going

67. Sample Code (II)

68. Demo (II)
"monitor_2.js"

69. Skill Editor:
Test

70. Test

71. Going Further

72. IOTDB
• NPM modules
• iotdb
• homestar
• iotdb-commands
• takes Action / Thing / &c and does it

73. Demo (III)
live

74. Get in touch!
David Janes
@dpjanes
davidjanes@iotdb.org
http://iotdb.org/social/imadeit/