Voice

​​Taking into account even the most horrendous of shower-time singers, the vocal prowess of humans is rarely matched in the animal kingdom. But scientists in Scotland have now found success training grey seals to mimic the human voice and even belt out the melodies to some well-known tunes.

​Music streaming giant Spotify has made its first foray into the world of audio gear. Simply called "Car Thing," this first piece of hardware isn't intended for consumers, but is intended to help the company understand its users' listening habits when behind the wheel.

​Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be a very serious problem, and it unfortunately often goes undiagnosed. New technology could help, however, as it uses artificial intelligence to determine if someone has PTSD – based on their speech.

Vochlea Music's goal in making the Dubler Studio Kit is to help musicians "release the stems of musical ideas trapped in their heads and get them straight into their production software – by simply using their voice."

Robotics company Anki has unveiled Vector, an emotive little fella who’s basically a cross between a smart home assistant and a pet. New Atlas got a hands-on demo, and found Vector to be a versatile home robot that’s a real charmer and might actually chip in around the house.

Amazon has announced the latest in its line of Alexa-enabled streaming devices, the Fire TV Cube, which lets you bark voice commands at the TV and other devices from across the room, and access other Alexa mainstays like weather and sports updates.

As any new parent will quickly confirm, the sound of a crying baby can communicate a multitude of things, from "I'm hungry", to "I'm in pain". A team at UCLA has now developed an innovative app that can identify when a baby is crying and help decode what they're trying to communicate.

Scientists at the MARCS Institute at Western Sydney University have tested a non-invasive artificial larynx and found it capable of generating a high-quality voice.

The human voice is a powerful instrument in itself, but Vlad Kreimer is looking to transform vocal sounds into synthesized soundscapes with the help of the Pipe, a mouth-controlled effects processor and synthesizer that turns the voice into a digital beat machine or rocking lead synth.

​Google Experiments is a showcase of the many creative ways the company’s tools and resources can be used. The latest "experiment" to launch is called Voice Experiments, and it offers a variety of fun and strange ways to play with the voice-controlled Google Assistant

Amazon may have got the smart speaker ball rolling with its Echo, but competitors are closing in. Microsoft has teamed up with Harman Kardon to put Cortana in the home with the Invoke. Not only will the speaker offer 360-degree sound, it'll be able to control your smart home and make Skype calls.

​Amazon’s personal assistant, Alexa, has a new home in Lenovo’s Smart Assistant, an Echo-like device that picks up voice commands and replies in kind. If better sound quality is your jam, there’s a Harman Kardon edition, and the company is also rolling out a wireless Smart Storage device.