I thought I'd make Furby a little less annoying and give him an upgrade with a real brain. Step aside, Scarecrow.

By combining a Raspberry Pi Zero W (a tiny computer), Amazon's (mostly) open-source Alexa Voice Service software, and a few other electrical components, I converted my normal Furby into an Amazon Echo.

I give you: Furlexa.

It is my hope that you can either use this guide as a fun read or to build your own Furby Echo -- I tried to write it in a style that any crowd would enjoy and I hope that I accomplished that goal.

howchooer Jeremy wrote a separate guide for building your own Raspberry Pi Amazon Echo (without the Furby) if you'd like to explore doing so without involving Furby.

Mentioned here Build Your Own Raspberry Pi Amazon Echo Hello, Alexa Voice Service.

Watch the video, then read on!

I created a video that demonstrates Furlexa and briefly explains what I did -- the rest of the guide (below) contains more details on my build, so be sure to check out both. :)