Posted by Lloyd Emelle | tagged: Teddy, Twitter, toys, Alison, circuitry, internet, Lloyd

"Lloyd, is the text-to-speech implant ready?"

Guru Alison and I performed some, uh, innovative 2.0 surgery on an old childhood friend. The result: a real-time Twittering, talking, live-streaming social media phenomenon. I worked with my team at the Drexel Music and Entertainment Technology Lab to develop Teddy’s text-to-speech software.

MATERIALS:

* Animatronic Teddy Bear
* USB Bluetooth Adapter
* Programmable Circuit Board
* Programmable source code
* USB Cable
* Bluetooth music adapter
* An H Bridge Integrated Circuit Chip
* 5V Voltage Regulator
* LM386 OP AMP
* Mono Mini Jack Socket
* Mini to Mini Jack Cable
* DC 6V Power adapter
* Power adapter Socket
* 4 AA batteries
* Text-to-speech software
* Twitter Account
* Internet Connection (FiOS recommended)
* Common Screwdriver
* Needle Nose Pliers
* Wire Strippers & Cutters
* Bread Board
* Solid Core Wire
* Led, Capacitor & Resistors
* Soldering Gun & Solder (Optional)

STEP 1: Perform surgery on Teddy Bear

Remove the integrated circuit board, by unplugging the mouth and eye motors, then unplug the speaker wires from their pin sockets. Keep the original AA battery tray as you will use this as a power source.

STEP 2: Program circuit board

We worked with Joseph Hladek of Parsons School of Design to build Teddy's circuit board. Plug in your programmable IC board into your computer via the USB cable. We are using the Arduino Diecimila USB Board. Download the Arduino Software here.

This will provide you with the necessary environment to program your circuit board. Simply copy and paste the provided source code into the Arduino environment then click on the “Upload to I/O Board” icon to upload the code to the Programmable Circuit Board. That code will convert the incoming audio signal to voltage to operate the motor for the mouth and eyes.

Here’s an example of the source code for the programmable circuit:

SourceCode_ProgrammableCircuit.txt

For your Teddy’s voice, use a Bluetooth audio adapter, and plug it into the existing speaker. To provide enough voltage and to alternate the DC current to the motor, we built a simple circuit using an H bridge chip.

STEP 3: Plug USB Bluetooth adapter into computer

If Bluetooth is built into your computer, turn Bluetooth on. Note: If your computer is not Bluetooth capable or does not support the Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) protocol simply connect Teddy to your computer’s audio-out using a mini-to-mini jack.

STEP 4: Text-to-speech software

To make Teddy speak Twitter entries, we developed a customized web-based application. (Coming soon to this page)

Text-to-speech software on your computer will convert Twitter text into Teddy speech. The program uses the “say” command in Mac OS X to convert text to Aiff audio format. QuickTime then plays the audio file. If you have a Mac you can try it out by opening the Terminal application, and typing "say" followed by the text you would like to hear.

Now synchronize the Bluetooth application on your computer to communicate with Teddy. Now go to the audio settings on your computer and select Bluetooth stereo audio.

STEP 5: Carefully sew up teddy bear

Bears prefer cotton thread, which is less abrasive and prevents scarring.

STEP 6: Let Teddy follow your friends

The server side application I created communicates between Teddy and Twitter. Once Teddy is synced to the computer or plugged into the audio mini jack, you simply enter your Twitter name and login to view the friends’ feed. The page will auto-refresh and Teddy will speak your friends’ latest updates.

Tip: On your computer, turn all other audio playing applications such as iTunes off and turn your volume up. This will keep Teddy focused on speaking Twitter feeds.

Coming soon: the Teddy text-to-speech web-based application. Until then, follow Teddy’s live webcam and look for Teddy on eBay soon. All proceeds from the auction will benefit the Homeless Children’s Education Fund.

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