For the last few years, home automation has made a huge push into the consumer space through a series of smart devices. Google Assitant, Amazon Alexa, and a large number of WiFi connected appliances ranging from light bulbs to washing machines have all led to a connected home. But, until this time, they’ve generally all used voice recognition as a means of controlling them. Fear not though, a trusty Zelda fan has made sure that’s not your only means to manage your home.
Allen Pan, YouTube star and self-proclaimed Mythbusters reject, has combined his love of hacking with Zelda. If you’re familiar with the 1998 classic The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, you’ll remember that the main character Link used an ocarina to play a number of songs with magical properties. But, instead of summoning storms, Allen Pan has put it to use summoning the devices around his home.
Using an internet-connected Raspberry Pi microcomputer and a microphone, he’s managed to program the device to respond to a variety of songs. More specifically, he can play the following songs to activate certain devices:
- Sun’s Song: Turn on the lights
- Epona’s Song: Unlock the car
- Zelda’s Lullaby: Lock/unlock the front door
- Song of Healing: Reset all modules to their default state
- Minuet of Forest: Water the plants
As you can see in the video below, it actually works really well. Using a series of WiFi modules placed all throughout the house, he’s able to activate everything with ease. I’m not 100% sure my wife would appreciate the sounds of an Ocarina every time I went to start the car, but the video does makes me tempted to build one myself.
Images: Allen Pan
Source: Allen Pan
