Raspberry Pi Voice AI Prototype - Build Conversational Software for Plush AI Companion

Job ID: 40381093

Budget: $1,500 – $3,000 USD

Project Title:
Raspberry Pi Voice AI Prototype – Build Conversational Software for Plush AI Companion

Project Description:

I have a fully assembled hardware prototype for an AI companion plush toy (Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W + Adafruit Voice Bonnet + speaker + microphone setup + power system). The physical electronics are already built and ready.

I need an experienced Raspberry Pi / Python developer to complete the software side only so the plush can have real-time voice conversations (must be in US).

Scope of work:
- Implement wake-word detection (Porcupine or similar)
- Build a stable streaming voice pipeline: microphone input → STT → LLM (OpenAI / Grok / similar) → TTS → speaker output
- Add half-duplex audio gating (mute mic while speaking to prevent feedback in plush)
- Add simple memory toggle (on/off)
- Optimize for low latency (target 1.2–1.8 seconds average)
- Basic logging and error handling
- Clean, well-documented code with setup instructions

Already completed:
- All hardware is physically assembled and should just need to be coded (I'm happy to buy any other necessary components)
- Power system, speaker, and microphones are wired and working
- You will only be working on software/firmware

Required skills:
- Strong Raspberry Pi experience (Zero 2 W preferred)
- Python + Linux audio handling
- Experience with STT / TTS / LLM pipelines
- Voice assistant or real-time audio projects

Budget & Timeline:
- Fixed price or hourly (please quote both)
- Target completion: 2–3 weeks
- Looking for someone who can start quickly

So excited to bring the Beasts to market (eventually) and make my clientele happier, more confident and create an environment for creativity and fun!

This is a focused prototype gig — with potential opportunity (if desired) to turn into a long-term full-time role.