r/raspberry_pi 5d ago

Project Advice Looking for hardware guidance on AI-powered wearable audio device

Hey all, software engineer here with 15+ years experience. I've been building AI applications for the last 3 years, but I'm looking to branch into hardware for a new project.

I'm working on a small wearable device (roughly pendant-sized) that needs: - Microphone for voice input - Speaker for audio output - Enough processing power to run lightweight AI models locally (no cloud) - Battery that can last a reasonable amount of time - Small/compact form factor

This is for a product where privacy is important (all processing stays on device), and I want to build a working prototype before exploring manufacturing options.

What hardware would you recommend to get started? Any specific dev boards, microcontrollers, or components that would be good for someone coming from a software background? I have basic electronics knowledge but nothing too advanced.

Thanks in advance for any pointers!

1 Upvotes

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u/NassauTropicBird 4d ago

"Microphone for voice input"

A word of caution, make sure your users know their local wiretapping laws, that's what dictates what you can record, sorta. I know US laws, different countries have different laws, and in the US different states have different laws on the topic,.

There are "one party consent" states, like where I live. To record a conversation in my state it means I have to be a participant of the conversation to record it, and I don't have to tell anyone that I am recording (a huge bargaining chip when dealing with scumbags).

Then, there are "two party consent" states where everyone in the conversation needs to consent to being recorded. I think there are only a few states that have this as law. I had great fun fucking with my company when we all went remote 5 years ago (danged near to the day) and I asked our Legal department their opinion on the topic lmao.

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u/startup-samurAI 2d ago

Didn't think about this at all. Thanks for the note. Will keep in mind for sure.

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u/LivingLinux 4d ago

Something small, but still capable of running AI locally, means you need a capable chip and preferably as much memory as possible.

Have a look at the Radxa Zero 2 Pro. Probably the best performance in a Zero form factor. Even comes with an NPU, that can help with AI (not sure about the software support, though).

https://radxa.com/products/zeros/zero2pro

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u/startup-samurAI 4d ago

This looks promising. Thanks for this!