What’s All the Fuss uss About? Teachable Machine chine
Wave at your webcam to understand how machine learning works
What is it?
An entertaining new Google “experiment” that shows you how machine learning works. Using your webcam you train Teachable Machine to follow simple commands, in effect programming it without coding. You also get to make silly hand gestures.
Sounds fun. But what’s machine learning?
It’s a form of artificial intelligence that learns by itself through trial and error, without human input. It’s a rapidly growing branch of computing, helping tech companies to quickly analyse and recognise large amounts of data, such as numerous photos.
OK. So what do I do?
Visit https://teachablemachine.withgoogle.com then click Let’s Go to take part in the tutorial, following the spoken instructions (which also appear at the bottom). Allow the site to access your webcam and you should see yourself in the Input box. You’ll be asked to raise a hand, then repeatedly click the green button until a video of a cat appears in the Output box on the right. From now, the site will show the cat video when you raise your hand (see image below).
Next you need to teach the machine to respond when you don’t raise your hand. Stare into the webcam with your hand down while clicking the purple button until the dog video appears. You’ve now taught the machine to show a cat when you raise your hand, and a dog when you move it down. Give it a go.
Will do. But what’s the point of all this?
Before we get to that, you should now choose your own visual ‘command’ by clicking the orange button until you see a rabbit video. For example, try holding a pen in front of the webcam – that worked for us. You’ve now taught the machine to show you three different videos depending on what it sees through your webcam. Well done!
Thank you. What’s next?
Now you can teach the machine to make noises and speak words. Click the Sound link at the top of the Output box, then click inside one of the Play boxes and choose an option (such as birds, trombone or applause). Let’s say you select ‘applause’ in the green play box. You then need to record through your webcam an appropriate visual command, such as clapping, while clicking the green button (see main screenshot above). Now, whenever you clap, the machine will respond with applause. Similarly, to make the machine speak words, click the Speech link and choose an option.
For inspiration, watch these Youtube videos showing how to make your hand say ‘moo’ ( www.snipca.com/26033), and how to play guitar by wriggling your fingers ( www.snipca.com/26034).
What if I can’t get it to work?
Google says not to worry because “seeing what works and what doesn’t is one way to explore how machine learning works”. The machine can only learn by what you show it, so keep trying until it finally understands what you’re doing. To reset the commands it recognises, click the ‘X’ in the Examples boxes.
Will you get to the point now?
In all honesty there isn’t one, beyond the great satisfaction in getting it to work and knowing you understand just a little bit more about the magic of machine learning. Teaching your own PC to boot faster and never crash is a much tougher task, however.
Using your webcam, you can train Teachable Machine to make noises and speak words