Conducting a quick Google search about how many Alexa devices are in the United states(Not any other smart speaker), yields some staggering results. SafeLast.co estimates that 40 million households in the United States have an Alexa in their house. According to the US Census Bureau, in 2019, there were 122 million households in America. This means that almost 1/3 of households in America have an Alexa device(Again this excludes any other smart speaker). What would a physical representation of Alexa look like? Would it be socially acceptable to have a physical representation of Alexa? These questions are what Alonzo attempts to understand.
Alonzo was created using two DC motors which are located under a box of wood to ensure Alonzo seemed more human than robot. His face was printed on an Ultimaker 3D printer, and his eyeballs were from a novelty toy pack. The DC motors are controlled by an Arduino Uno which allows for the rotation of the eyeballs.
Future designs of this project would add a voice component to Alonzo, and rather than having just one in a room, multiple would be placed all around to ensure Alonzo has a full view of what is happening in the room.