Wireless control of linked devices
A universal device controller is configured to operate as a proxy mechanism for interacting with a plurality of different devices wirelessly coupled to the universal device controller. When a user of the universal device controller verbally expresses a command from a universal command language understood by the device, the universal device controller analyzes the verbal expression of the user and identifies a wireless device capable of executing the associated command. The universal device controller then identifies an API for interacting with the identified device and translates the verbal expression into a device command that the identified device is capable of executing. The universal device controller then issues the device command to the identified device.
1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions that, when executed by a processing unit, cause the processing unit to translate verbal expressions into commands for a plurality of devices, by performing the steps of:
processing a first verbal expression to identify a subset of devices included in the plurality of devices that are each capable of performing a first operation associated with the first verbal expression;
disambiguating the subset of devices to identify a first device;
translating the first verbal expression to generate a first command that corresponds to the first operation, wherein the first command is included in a first set of commands associated with the first device; and
transmitting the first command across a wireless connection to the first device to cause the first device to perform the first operation.
2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the first verbal expression includes either an indication of the first operation or indications of both the first device and the first operation.
3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the first verbal expression reflects a state of a particular user, and the step of processing the first verbal expression comprises determining that the first device is capable of influencing the state of the particular user.
4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein disambiguating the subset of devices comprises processing a second verbal expression to distinguish the first device from other devices in the subset of devices.
5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein disambiguating the subset of devices comprises identifying the first device as a device included in the subset of devices that resides closest to the user.
6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
performing a discovery process to identify the plurality of devices;
performing a pairing process with the first device to establish the wireless connection with the first device; and
querying the first device to identify the first set of commands, wherein the first set of commands are included in an application programming interface associated with the first device.
7. A computer-implemented method for translating verbal expressions into commands for a plurality of devices, the method comprising:
processing a first verbal expression to identify a subset of devices included in the plurality of devices that are each capable of performing a first operation associated with the first verbal expression;
disambiguating the subset of devices to identify a first device;
translating the first verbal expression to generate a first command that corresponds to the first operation, wherein the first command is included in a first set of commands associated with the first device; and
transmitting the first command across a wireless connection to the first device to cause the first device to perform the first operation.
8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , wherein the first verbal expression includes a first device command that indicates the first device in the plurality of devices.
9. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , wherein the first verbal expression includes a first device command that is associated with the first device in the plurality of devices and associated with a second device included in the plurality of devices.
10. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , wherein disambiguating between devices in the subset of devices comprises generating a prompt to select the first device included in the subset of devices.
11. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , wherein disambiguating between devices in the subset of devices comprises measuring the distance between a user and each device in the subset of devices to identify that the first device is closest to the user.
12. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , further comprising:
discovering the plurality of devices;
pairing with the first device to establish the wireless connection with the first device; and
obtaining a set of device parameters associated with the first device that reflect one or more functionalities associated with the first device.
13. A computing device configured to translate verbal expressions into commands for a plurality of devices, comprising:
a transducer configured to transduce verbal expressions;
a processor coupled to the transducer and configured to:
process a first verbal expression transduced by the transducer to identify a subset of devices included in the plurality of devices that are each capable of performing a first operation associated with the first verbal expression,
disambiguate the subset of devices to identify a first device, and
translate the first verbal expression to generate a first command included in a set of commands associated with first device, wherein the first command reflects the first verbal expression, and
a wireless transceiver, configured to issue the first command to the first device to cause the first device to perform a first operation associated with the first command.
14. The computing device of claim 13 , wherein the processor is configured to disambiguate the subset of devices by processing a second verbal expression to distinguish the first device from other devices in the subset of devices.
15. A computer-implemented method for translating verbal expressions into commands for a plurality of devices, the method comprising:
processing a first verbal expression to identify a first device included in the plurality of devices that is capable of initiating a first operation associated with the first verbal expression;
translating the first verbal expression to generate a first command that corresponds to the first operation, wherein the first command is included in a first set of commands associated with the first device;
transmitting the first command across a wireless connection to the first device to cause the first device to initiate the first operation, wherein transmitting the first command comprises:
receiving a second verbal expression indicating that the first operation should be performed by a second device that is managed by the first device; and
causing the first device, in response to the first command, to cause the second device to perform the first operation.
16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15 , further comprising recording a preference that the first device, upon receiving a command, should cause the second device to perform an operation associated with the command.