Astra-9 Lite Companion Panel | Emerging Technologies Laboratory

Mode: how should she act?

A mode sets her rules, what she remembers, how she listens and her eye color. Pick one, and you can still change anything after.

1. Eye color

Her eyes are full-color lights. Teal is her default.

Any color

Brightness 40%

Brightness is capped to protect the power supply.

2. Accent

Pick how she sounds, then press Hear it.

Accent

3. Name

A companion's name can be changed. Astra-9 Lite's is locked.

4. Skills

Download new abilities. These are examples with example prices, not for sale.

5. Personalities

Not everyone wants the same companion. Download a different personality for Astra-9 Lite, grouped by kind of character: children, health professions, fantasy and more. Press Hear voice to listen first. She is still Astra-9 Lite, and the prices are examples, with no payment taken.

6. Talk to Astra-9 Lite

Type a message. In demo mode the replies are examples.

7. Show her a photo or a file

Show her a photo so she gets to know you, or give her a file to read. She tells you what she sees, or what stands out in it.

Who or what is in it? (optional) If it is a file, what should she do with it?

Photos: JPEG, PNG, GIF or WebP. Files: text, Markdown, CSV or PDF, up to a few pages.

Only share photos and files you are happy for Astra-9 Lite to see. When she is connected, the photo or file is sent to her AI service to be read, and is not saved. She keeps the first part of a file in mind for the next few questions.

What she keeps

Kept only on the robot. Anyone who opens this panel can read and delete it.

Notes

Lists

Knowledge shelf

Protocol

Guardian setup: teach her your building

This is what a front door needs to know. Fill in what you have. She reads the directory exactly as written, never opens a door, never blocks anyone, and always tells people to call 911 in an emergency. Everything stays on the robot.

Building or company name What she says when someone walks up (leave empty for the usual hello) Directory: one place per line as Name | Where | Details | other names Forms to get started: one per line as Name | web address or where to get it

Hours

Closed from until

What she says when it is closed What the company wants said in an emergency (she always says call 911 first) Where to send notices to the front office (an https address that takes a message, such as a Slack or Teams hook) Remove the saved notice address

Visitors she has logged

Questions she could not answer

What visitors asked that was not in the directory, forms or hours. This is the list of what a Guardian will need.

People she knows about

She cannot tell who is speaking, because she does not recognize voices or faces. But she can know about the people you tell her about, and she will take someone's word for who they are. Write whatever you want her to know, one thought per line, in plain sentences. A line like Name | who they are works too. Only Elle gets this, never the characters, and it stays on this robot.

Pet companion

While you are out she says a few gentle words to your pet now and then, with her eyes steady and her head still. She does not listen for barking yet, and she makes no claim about how your pet feels. If your pet seems worried or unwell, ask a vet or a trainer. Keep her and her cords out of your pet's reach.

Your pet's name Kind of pet Favorite toys (up to six, separated by commas) How often, in minutes (10 to 240)

Quiet from until

Send my daily note at (uses the notice address from the check-in card) She keeps my pet company now

Her calendar: read only

Paste the link from Outlook (Settings, Calendar, Shared calendars, Publish a calendar, can view all details, then copy the ICS link). She can read what is on it and tell you your day. She cannot add, change or delete anything. Anyone who has the link can read your calendar, so do not share it. It is kept only on this robot and never shown again. A repeating event whose single days were moved or cancelled may be wrong, so check anything important.

Calendar link

House controls: lights, plugs and blinds

An option. She does nothing here until you add a device, and she never touches Alexa or anything you already have. She will not control locks, doors, garage doors, alarms, cameras or heaters. Add a device, press Test, and then say "turn on the test lamp." The device must be on the same network as she is.

Name she will answer to What it is How she reaches it

Its address on your home network, such as 192.168.1.40

For a Kasa plug she needs one small add-on on the Pi: pip3 install python-kasa. Find the plug's address in your router's list of devices.

8. When someone walks up

Astra-9 Lite notices when someone comes close. Choose what she does. If a lot of people pass by, set a longer wait so the hello does not get old.

Say hello Turn her head Brighten her eyes Keep listening after the hello, so people can just talk to her Always listening: she answers when she hears her name, Elle or Astra Crowd mode: she answers only when a sentence has her name in it, and does not keep the conversation open after. Use it when many people are talking.

After the hello she listens for about 20 seconds and answers what is said, and keeps going while people keep talking. Always listening uses some speech service credit each time anyone speaks nearby, so switch it off when it is not needed. Only on Astra-9 Lite.

Wait this long before welcoming again

Event: a hello for each visitor, then she waits to be asked. Lab: she listens all the time and answers her name.

Her head makes a small friendly glance to each side and comes back. One motion sensor can tell that someone is there, but not where, so she does not aim at anyone. Welcome now is for when the sensor misses a person.

Meet Astra-9 Lite, a companion you can shape

Mode: how should she act?

1. Eye color

2. Accent

3. Name

4. Skills

5. Personalities

6. Talk to Astra-9 Lite

7. Show her a photo or a file

What she keeps

Guardian setup: teach her your building

People she knows about

Pet companion

Her calendar: read only

House controls: lights, plugs and blinds

8. When someone walks up

9. Switching off