DEVLOG #13

What I did

For this devlog, I started working on the web app for Otis. I want it to have controls that allow you to manually control him, as well as a button/textbox for AI questions. I was able to make a simple one with Tkinter, but decided to scrap that idea and go with a web server made with CSS and HTML. I then paused that and began working on the microphone feature, since I felt like that was much more important compared to the web server.

Challenges

Creating the app

I initially wanted to create the app with Tkinter, as I had seen others use it and it did not seem too hard. So I began programming it with that. I made a simple window with 7buttons (4 for movement and 3 for AI use). But after realizing that I would not be able to control the ESP with Tkinter, I had to look elsewhere. This is when I realized I could make an ESP32 web server and upload the HTML code to it. This would allow me to create a local web server with a GUI that I could interact with.

Working with the microphone

After working on the web server, I decided that getting the microphone was a bigger priority for me, so I pivoted and began working on that. I looked at the Seeed Studio docs for microphone use and was able to create some code that would detect and package audio samples. I plan to use this with the Python script to transcribe it locally. The problem is that it is not working, and I have not yet found a solution. This all feels really sketchy, and I don’t expect it to work immediately, so wish me luck.

What is next

I don’t have a lot of time left, and I have yet to actually put any of the hardware together. I will likely try to 3d print the parts and begin putting stuff together by the end of next week. I will also continue working on the microphone.