The document discusses how to create a custom Alexa skill by following 4 steps: 1) Register as an Alexa developer, 2) Learn about the Alexa Skills Kit (ASK), 3) Define the interaction model including intents, slots, and invocation name, 4) Write the skill logic as an AWS Lambda function using a programming language like Node.js or Python. It also mentions using Alexa skill blueprints which are no-code templates.

1. Make Your Own
ALEXA SKILL
Tuesday 28th January 02020
John Dalziel
@crashposition

2. What we’ll cover
• Amazon Echo
• Amazon Alexa
• How do they work?
• The Alexa Skills Kit

3. What is
AMAZON ECHO?

4. • Amazon Echo is an internet connected "smart speaker".
• The Alexa Service is what makes it "smart".
• Launched in 2014 in US. 2016 in UK and Germany.
• The newer Echo devices also have a display.

5. SET UP

6. What can it do?

7. Ask the Time
Alexa,
what time is it?
The time is
eleven seventeen.

8. Ask Questions
Alexa, what is the
airspeed velocity
of an unladen…
According to
Wikipedia…

9. Alexa,
play BBC 6Music
Play Audio

10. Control IoT Devices
Alexa,
Lights on.

11. AMAZON ECHO
How does it work?

13. Alexa,
• Echo listens for a wake word.
• Valid wake words are "Alexa", "Echo" and "computer".
Alexa terminology in bold.

14. • Echo listens for a wake word.
Alexa,
• Echo records the utterance.
What time is it?
Alexa terminology in bold.

15. Alexa,
• Echo records the utterance.
What time is it?
• Echo sends the utterance to the Alexa Service.
• Echo listens for a wake word.
Alexa terminology in bold.

16. Alexa,
• Echo records the utterance.
What time is it?
• Echo sends the utterance to the Alexa Service.
• The Alexa Service responds.
The time is
eleven seventeen.
• Echo listens for a wake word.
Alexa terminology in bold.

17. AMAZON ALEXA
How does it work?

18. Lex
What time is it?
Automatic Speech
Recognition (ASR)
• Lex analyses the waveform for speech.
Audio waveform

19. Lex
Automatic Speech
Recognition (ASR)
• Lex analyses the waveform for speech.
Audio waveform Text transcript
• Lex converts the speech to text.
Speech to Text

20. Lex
Automatic Speech
Recognition (ASR)
• Lex analyses the waveform for speech.
Audio waveform Text transcript
Speech to Text
• Lex converts the speech to text.
• Lex applies NLP models to understand the user’s intent.
Natural Language
Understanding (NLU)
User intent

21. Lex
Automatic Speech
Recognition (ASR)
• Lex analyses the waveform for speech.
Audio waveform Text transcript
Speech to Text
• Lex converts the speech to text.
• Lex applies NLP models to understand the user’s intent.
Natural Language
Understanding (NLU)
User intent Skill invocation
Lambda
Alexa Skill
• Lex invokes a Lambda function for the desired Alexa Skill

22. Skill invocation
Lambda
Alexa Skill
• Lambda receives the user intent as JSON data.
• Lambda computes an appropriate response.

23. Skill invocation
Lambda
Alexa Skill
Text response
• Lambda outputs a response as text.
• Lambda receives the user intent as JSON data.
• Lambda computes an appropriate response.

24. Skill invocation
Lambda
Alexa Skill
Polly
Text to Speech (TTS)
Generate audio
waveform
Text response
• Polly converts the text to speech.
• Lambda outputs a response as text.
• Lambda receives the user intent as JSON data.
• Lambda computes an appropriate response.

25. Skill invocation
Lambda
Alexa Skill
Polly
Text to Speech (TTS)
Generate audio
waveform
Text response
• Polly converts the text to speech.
• The waveform is sent back to the Echo device.
The time is
eleven seventeen.
• Lambda outputs a response as text.
• Lambda receives the user intent as JSON data.
• Lambda computes an appropriate response.

26. Make your own
ALEXA Skills

27. Register as a developer at https://developer.amazon.com.
this is not the same as an AWS account.STEP 1

28. STEP 2 Check out the Alexa Skills Kit (ASK)

29. Define the Interaction Model for your Skill.STEP 3
• Define the intent. These are the requests your Skill can handle. e.g.
Order pizza, Play music, get Tide Times etc.
• Define the words that will invoke your Skill. e.g. "Order a large
pepperoni pizza" maps to an OrderPizza intent.
• Define the required slots (variables) that are required to fulfil a
request. e.g. size: "small/medium/large" pizzaType:"margarita/
pepperoni"
• Define a unique invocation name for your Skill.
e.g. "Bob’s Pizza"
Alexa terminology in bold.

30. STEP 3
"Order a large pepperoni pizza from Bob’s Pizza"
intent invocation name
utterance:
Define the Interaction Model for your Skill.
slots
namespaceOrderPizza( size, PizzaType )
Alexa terminology in bold.

31. STEP 4 Write a Custom Skill as a Lambda function.
Lambda
• Custom Alexa Skills are written as AWS Lambda functions.
• Lambda is a serverless environment for running functions.
• Functions can be written in almost any language. Popular
languages include NodeJS, Python, Ruby, Java, Go and .NET.
Alexa terminology in bold.

32. Or start with a Blueprint.STEP 4
• Blueprints are pre-built
no-code templates for
an Alexa Skill.
Alexa terminology in bold.

33. No WiFi version
BLUEPRINTS DEMO

44. FIN

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https://twitter.com/worthingdigital
• YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/user/WorthingDigital

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