Google Revs Its DIY AI Projects

Google today announced two fun new “AIY”—read as “DIY AI”—project kits for the Raspberry Pi Zero WH. The projects help budding makers explore AI-based voice and vision capabilities inexpensively. And this year’s versions are more standalone, so you can get started right away.

“AIY Projects give makers the power to build AI into their projects with two do-it-yourself kits,” Google’s Billy Rutledge explains. “We’re seeing continued demand for the kits, especially from the STEM audience where parents and teachers alike have found the products to be great tools for the classroom. The changing nature of work in the future means students may have jobs that haven’t yet been imagined, and we know that computer science skills, like analytical thinking and creative problem solving, will be crucial.”

There are two kits available, the AIY Voice Kit and the AIY Vision Kit. Each includes a Raspberry Pi Zero WH and a pre-provisioned SD card which includes all of the software needed to get up and running immediately. (Previously, you had to download and install the software on the SD card yourself.) The AIY Voice Kit ($50) helps you build your own voice-activated assistant, while the AIY Vision Kit ($90) lets you build your own intelligent camera that can see and recognize objects using machine learning.

Both kits are only available at Target stores and Target.com for some reason, but Google says that it will make them available globally via other retailers soon.

You can learn more about the AIY project kits from the AIY Projects website.