Voice Assistants, Mental Health, and Pandemics with Roger Kibbe

In this episode, Teri shares a recording of his recent webinar where Roger Kibbe spoke about the different types of skills that we can potentially use with our Echo devices.

Enjoy!

Roger is the Senior Developer Evangelist at Viv Labs which develops the conversational AI technology that powers Samsung Bixby. He has been working in tech for over 20 years as a consultant, technical architect and strategist, and founder of a voice startup. A big-picture thinker and achiever, Roger is passionate about using technology as an enabler of great people experiences. An accomplished speaker and a proven thought-leader, He enjoys sharing his fountain of knowledge with others and has presented at some of the most prominent voice and AI conferences in America, including Voice Summit, Project Voice, Samsung SDC, Dreamforce and VMWorld.

Teri hosted the webinar on March 25th, and it was all about voice technology and the Coronavirus, and how we can use this technology to help us in what we are experiencing today. He had several speakers and Roger spoke about voice assistants, mental health, and pandemics, and how we can use various types of skills to help with the sense of loneliness, isolation, and some mental health issues that are already cropping up because people are isolated.

The Coronavirus and How Voice Can Help

There has been a rise in different mental health issues because of the isolation people have been under and Roger has been looking into how we can use the voice assistants in our homes and smartphones to help with this. Some of the way include:

Social Connection

The first benefit of voice assistants is that they can help people connect through both voice and video calls. Smart speakers are better conference call tools than our phones, and with video calling, for example, when one person has a smart speaker with a screen, another person can video call them with their smart speaker by saying, “Alexa, call [That Person’s Name]”

Exercising

Exercising during this time can help in a big way with maintaining good mental health while in isolation and there are several voice experiences on different voice assistants that one can use to help with exercising. Roger uses the “7-Minute Workout” experience on Alexa.

Meditation

There are meditation tools that can help one relax and take things easy in the midst of the distressing times we are in now. Voice assistants can teach someone how to meditate or give one guided meditation lessons. They include Headspace Meditation on Alexa and Google, Mindless Meditation on Bixby, Calm Meditation on Google Assistant, and Guided Meditation on Alexa.

Sleep

Sleeping better is also critical at this time, and there are several ambient sound skills, capsules, and actions that are available to help people sleep. They include Sleep Sounds and Healing.FM.

Entertainment and Games

Another way to stay sane during isolation is through family games and there are several great multi-player voice experiences (games) for families to play. They include Word Tennis on Alexa, Song Quiz by Volly, Would You Rather? and Trivial Pursuit on Alexa.Voice assistants can keep people entertained from the confines of their homes through skills like Escape the Room (The voice version of an escape room), Feel the Pressure, The Vortex, Tempers Rising, and Question of the Day.

Learning

With all the time that we have on our hands due to the isolation, we can take that time to learn new things, and there are skills like Make Me Smart on Alexa and Learn Something Radio. Kids can use learning experiences like 1-2-3 Math, Kid’s Quiz, Bamboo, STEM Party, and Kid’s Court.

Cooking

People are having to home cook meals a lot more now that they’re in isolation and there are skills that can help people cook much more easily.

List of resources mentioned in this episode

The Comprehensive Flash Briefing Formula Course7-Minute Workout (Alexa)5 Minute Plank (Google Assistant)Senior Squat Workout (Alexa)Senior Workout (Bixby)Freeze Dance (Alexa)Freeze Dance (Bixby)Animal Workout on AlexaHeadspace (Alexa)Calm Meditation (Google Assistant)Guided Meditations (Alexa)Sleep Sounds (Alexa)Healing.FMWord Tennis on AlexaSong Quiz by Volley (Alexa and Google)Would You Rather? (Alexa)Trivial Pursuit (Alexa)Make Me Smart (Alexa)1-2-3 Math (Alexa)Kid’s Quiz! (Alexa)Bamboo Math (Alexa)STEM Party (Alexa)Kid’s Court (Alexa)Escape the Room (Alexa)Feel the Pressure (Alexa)The Vortex (Alexa)Question of the Day (Alexa)Roger on TwitterRoger on Linkedin

Other useful resources:

Voice in Canada: The Flash BriefingComplete List of Alexa CommandsAlexa-Enabled and Controlled Devices in CanadaTeri Fisher on TwitterAlexa in Canada on TwitterAlexa in Canada Facebook PageAlexa in Canada Community Group on FacebookAlexa in Canada on InstagramPlease leave a review on iTunesShopping on Amazon.ca

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