Science & Tech

Someone Turned Amazon Alexa Into SOLO’s L3-37

by Blair Marnell
Jun 13 2018 • 10:37 AM

Last month, Solo: A Star Wars Story introduced moviegoers to L3-37, a free spirited and very outspoken droid who was the co-pilot of the Millennium Falcon when it was owned by Lando Calrissian. L3-37 was truly one of a kind, but that hasn’t stopped one intrepid Star Wars fan from attempting to make a L3 of his own. To realize his vision, he used an Amazon Alexa and documented its transformation into L3-37 on YouTube.

Youtube Video play button
Via Gizmodo, the custom L3-37 Amazon Alexa was conceived and created by Patrick Stefanski for his PatchBots channel. According to Stefanski, one of the first hurdles he faced was the limited options available in Amazon’s Echo speakers. To get around those inherent limitations, the L3 build began with a Raspberry Pi3 mini computer running the Alexa software. Stefanski couldn’t perfectly mimic Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s voice, but he was able to get Alexa/L3 to speak with a British accent by setting his location as the United Kingdom.

Aside from the technical knowledge he displayed, Stefanski also demonstrated an impressive eye for detail and a willingness to make a screen accurate version of L3. In the video, Stefanski shared the specific steps he took to make L3 look properly textured and even dirty. And in a particularly inspired touch, he programmed L3 to respond to every inquiry with an annoyed “What?”

What did you think about this L3/Alexa hybrid? More importantly, what do you think L3 would say about it? Let us know in the comment section below!

Image: Patrick Stefanski 

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