Viewers were shocked when they saw a man lighting a rocket using Alexa.
When it comes to Diwali, fireworks are a major attraction of the celebration. With the festival of lights approaching, people across the country are already celebrating with great enthusiasm. Among the countless Diwali-related posts circulating online, one video has caught a lot of attention. Viewers were shocked when they saw a man light a small rocket using Alexa. The device, responsive to voice commands, hears the user say, “Alexa, launch rocket.” In response, Alexa replies, “Yes, boss, launching the rocket,” as the firecracker is seen flying from the steel bottle.
The adorable video was posted on Instagram with the caption, “Launching a rocket with Alexa.” It has already been viewed over 15 million times, with users praising the person who was the mastermind behind the project.
Among others, Amazon Alexa India also commented on the post, “Taking ‘hands-free’ Diwali literally.” Swiggy Instamart also reacted to the video and said, “AI has come a long way (literally).” One user quipped, “Alexa shook it, the person was shocked.”
Many viewers asked the video uploader to share a detailed description of the entire project. In this regard, a person revealed how he had done the same thing last year during Diwali using “an Arduino module that accepts voice commands and triggers the relay module.”
“The relay module uses the concept of electromagnetism and acts as a digital switch. The switch is connected to nichrome wires which heat up to ignite the rocket,” he said.
Some behind-the-scenes footage of the project was later shared by the same Instagram handle. One of them documented how Alexa was reprogrammed to turn into a launcher. Apart from rockets, this device was also used to light firecrackers. With command, the device generates heat which can be converted into flames with the help of an electromagnetic field.
Those videos also caught the attention of many users, who feel that the person who came up with the idea is “using AI in the best possible way.” A tutorial of the entire process and explanation of the principle was also shared on YouTube.