Apple’s Siri may have a voice and even a movie of sorts, but rival Cortana from Microsoft has a face. And a body.
Software developer Jarem Archer has given Microsoft’s virtual assistant Cortana a new avatar, in the form of an appliance, complete with a hologram. Archer is a fan of the video game saga Halo, and Cortana, it turns out, gets her name from the artificial intelligence sidekick in the game.
Archer used the 3D Unity app for his project. It’s a platform meant for developing games and virtual reality experiences. His working concept appliance works as a personal assistant and can easily answer queries.
“This is a concept Cortana appliance I’ve built. It’s basically what I imagined Microsoft’s version of Alexa or Google Home would be like if they were to use the holographic AI sidekick from the Halo franchise,” Archer wrote in a blog post.
The concept appliance is powered by Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system in a custom enclosure. It has a portable USB monitor and a built-in-Arduino (to control platform lights).
Archer has used an omni-directional microphone to pick up your voice if you’re talking to Cortana, and a mini speaker to broadcast her responses.
Expect your virtual assistant to get increasingly real.
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