Yes, it runs 'Doom': Satellite plays iconic game in world's 1st demonstration of orbital voice control
The world's first voice command of a satellite saw an experimental European spacecraft play the iconic video game 'Doom' after operators spoke to it from Earth.
A satellite named PRETTY, part of a cubesat project backed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and Estonia's Tanagra Space, became the first space object to respond to a voice command from Earth. The ambitious demonstration was carried out by a group of Norwegian radio amateurs, who spent 59 days and about $775 to successfully transmit a command to the satellite. The command, "PRETTY play Doom Doom Doom," was spoken by Jon Bergli Heier (LB9BJ) from a rooftop in Oslo and picked up by the satellite a few days later.
The project aimed to show how future satellites could use voice control and AI for various purposes, such as aiding in distress situations at sea or in remote areas. The satellite used open-source tools like GNU Radio for signal processing and Sherpa-ONNX for speech recognition. Despite challenges in speech transcription, such as varying accents and background noise, the attempt was a success. The satellite generated a postcard containing gameplay footage, the transcription of the command, and signal diagnostics.
Though the current achievement is a testament to the creativity and determination of amateur radio operators, the team behind the experiment is already eyeing potential applications for deep-space radio signals and AI-driven data analysis. Until then, the world can enjoy the unique story of a satellite playing Doom in orbit, all thanks to a voice command and some pizza.
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