Integrate your Amazon Echo devices into your Hubitat environment to create virtual Echo Devices. These virtual devices will allow you to speak text, make announcements, control media playback including volume, and many other Alexa features.
I'd welcome the ability to capture responses from Echo Speaks "voiceCmdAsText" actions, into a variable (silently) in addition to (or, optionally, instead of!) her speaking the response out loud.
For example, asking Alexa "what day is it" produces a standard response which I could then assign as the value of a local RM variable, or a Hub variable. This way, the rule(s) could operate on that String text without further engagement with Alexa or Echo Speaks.
I believe we could achieve this on the Vera/Ezlo hub platform(s) using Alexa Speaks plug-in beginning in 2019. That is, have "silent" (typed or rule-based) conversations with Alexa.
The alternative would be to have an "invisible" (cloud-based) Alexa that isn't a physical device, but an app-like instance of Alexa that can receive commands in this manner. On Ezlo controllers, they called it Ezlo VOI™. I'm pretty sure the Alexa SDK describes this applet type in details.
But the biggest hurdle here is capturing text responses into a variable, or, alternatively, into a device Attribute on the Echo Speaks parent device, from which the String could then be copied. (e.g. "ResponseText: "Today is Saturday.")
I'd welcome the ability to capture responses from Echo Speaks "voiceCmdAsText" actions, into a variable (silently) in addition to (or, optionally, instead of!) her speaking the response out loud.
For example, asking Alexa "what day is it" produces a standard response which I could then assign as the value of a local RM variable, or a Hub variable. This way, the rule(s) could operate on that String text without further engagement with Alexa or Echo Speaks.
I believe we could achieve this on the Vera/Ezlo hub platform(s) using Alexa Speaks plug-in beginning in 2019. That is, have "silent" (typed or rule-based) conversations with Alexa.
The alternative would be to have an "invisible" (cloud-based) Alexa that isn't a physical device, but an app-like instance of Alexa that can receive commands in this manner. On Ezlo controllers, they called it Ezlo VOI™. I'm pretty sure the Alexa SDK describes this applet type in details.
But the biggest hurdle here is capturing text responses into a variable, or, alternatively, into a device Attribute on the Echo Speaks parent device, from which the String could then be copied. (e.g. "ResponseText: "Today is Saturday.")