Apps

After a successful Kickstarter last year, Robosen Robotics has launched the T9, a robot that transforms into a vehicle through voice commands or via an app.

Musicians often make playing an instrument look deceptively easy. But learning can be tough. Technology can help take the edge off, such as the One Keyboard Pro Essential piano which guides students through the learning process using LEDs and an app.

The Spark amp from Positive Grid is paired with a voice-activated mobile app that opens the door to real-time practice and learning tools, and allows players to jam along to tracks from streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music.

If you care about clothing styles in the first place, then it can be difficult, trying to determine if your outfit is fashionable. It would be great if your phone could tell you, and with the new Fashion++ app, it may soon be able to do just that.

Skoog Music is all about making music easy and fun. Five years ago the company launched a touchy-feely cube on Indiegogo that could be picked up and played in minutes. Now a new big-buttoned melody maker has been announced called the Skwitch.

The upcoming Wristruments app puts guitar tuition within reach, serves up a metronome, instructor, song library, and tuner on a smartwatch.

Loog Guitars has kicked off a crowdfunding campaign to fund three learning guitars for kids with a built-in amp and speaker.

The VertDesk v3 standing desk can be automatically raised using voice commands.

A new artificial intelligence (AI) app developed by researchers from Bioversity International allows banana​ farmers to identify and combat outbreaks of pests and diseases. Designed to be used with a smartphone, both on and offline, it's claimed to operate with an average success rate of 90 percent.

A new technology, called transdermal optical imaging, can turn your smartphone into a device that can measure your blood pressure by analyzing a short video of your face. The University of Toronto-led research has demonstrated the system is 95 percent accurate and an app is already in development.

​Ping pong is a two (or four) player game, but if you need to practice alone then a robot server can help. Cheap bots can be had, but more features means more cost. Joola says that its Infinity Smart Robot boasts advanced features for a fraction of the cost of high end robot trainers.​

Though portable Bluetooth speakers allow music lovers to share audio with those around them, headphones are mostly a private listening experience. With the launch of Augmented Audio, BG Audio gives users the choice to keep things private or share with others, either locally or remotely.