BillAI Bass

BillAI Bass is an open-source project that reimagines the classic Big Mouth Billy Bass toy as an interactive AI voice assistant. Using a Raspberry Pi 5 as the brain, it powers the toy with real-time conversational AI from Amazon Nova 2 Sonic, accessed via Strands Agents' bidirectional streaming technology.

Highlights

• Real-time voice conversation with natural lip-sync animation
• Motorized head movement and tail flapping synchronized to AI responses
• Runs on affordable Raspberry Pi 5 hardware with local audio control
• Powered by Amazon Nova 2 Sonic language model with minimal AWS costs
• Complete open-source build guide accessible to makers of all skill levels

The project includes detailed assembly and setup instructions, making it accessible to both experienced builders and hobbyists with no prior robotics experience. Users can request AI guidance throughout the building process. While the software is free, running the AI model requires an AWS Bedrock account with minimal per-minute costs. Perfect for makers, educators, and anyone wanting to create a fun, responsive AI companion.