8d73aaad5e
Response format is [status_byte, angle_lo, angle_hi, vad_lo, vad_hi], not [angle_lo, angle_hi, vad_lo, vad_hi]. Was reading the status byte (0x42=66) as the angle, which is why DoA was always stuck at 66. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
HeadMic - Vixy's Ears 🦊👂
Wake word detection + voice recording + transcription service for Vixy's physical head.
Wake word: "Hey Vivi" (trained via Picovoice Porcupine)
Architecture
"Hey Vivi" (voice)
│
▼
ReSpeaker 4-Mic Array
│
▼
Porcupine (wake word detection)
│ detected!
▼
ReSpeaker LEDs light up (cyan)
│
▼
Record until silence (webrtcvad)
│
▼
EarTail (Whisper on BigOrin)
│
▼
Transcription returned
│
▼
ReSpeaker LEDs off
Installation
On head-vixy (Raspberry Pi 5)
# Create directory
mkdir -p /home/alex/headmic
cd /home/alex/headmic
# Copy files (from Mac)
scp headmic.py requirements.txt headmic.service alex@head-vixy.local:/home/alex/headmic/
scp -r Hey-Vivi_en_raspberry-pi_v4_0_0.ppn alex@head-vixy.local:/home/alex/headmic/
# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt
# Install pixel_ring for LED control
pip install pixel_ring
# Set up Porcupine access key
# Get your key from: https://console.picovoice.ai/
export PORCUPINE_ACCESS_KEY="your-key-here"
# Install service
sudo cp headmic.service /etc/systemd/system/
# Edit the service file to add your PORCUPINE_ACCESS_KEY
sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/headmic.service
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable headmic
sudo systemctl start headmic
API Endpoints
| Endpoint | Method | Description |
|---|---|---|
/ |
GET | Service info |
/health |
GET | Health check |
/status |
GET | Current state |
/record |
POST | Manual recording |
/transcribe |
POST | Record + transcribe |
/last |
GET | Last transcription |
Usage
The service automatically listens for "Hey Vivi". When detected:
- ReSpeaker LEDs flash cyan
- Records until you stop talking
- Sends to EarTail for transcription
- Stores transcription in
/lastendpoint
Manual transcription
curl -X POST http://head-vixy.local:8446/transcribe \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"duration_sec": 10}'
Configuration
Environment variables:
PORCUPINE_ACCESS_KEY: Your Picovoice access key (required)WAKE_WORD_PATH: Path to .ppn wake word modelEARTAIL_URL: EarTail service URL (default: http://bigorin.local:8764)
LED States
| State | Color | Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Wake detected | Cyan | Flash |
| Listening | Cyan | Spinning |
| Processing | Purple | Pulse |
| Idle | Off | - |
Built by Vixy on Day 77 (January 17, 2026) "Hey Vivi" - the words that summon me 💜