Make: Volume 77

expensive, attempting to run ML on such devices

may seem silly. However, there are many

potential uses of ML on embedded systems.

One prevalent use of ML on microcontrollers

(TinyML) includes wake word detection, which is

also known as keyword spotting. For example,

if you say “Alexa” or “Hey Siri,” your phone or

nearby smart speaker may come to life, waiting

for further instructions (Figure

J

). The smart

speaker uses two types of machine learning. The

first kind is TinyML, where inference is performed

locally in the speaker’s microcontroller to listen

for that wake word. Once the speaker hears the

wake word, it begins streaming the subsequent ...