Voice

We’ve all been annoyed by someone taking a loud call in a quiet room, and now a Japanese tech company has unveiled a creative, if somewhat bizarre, solution. The Mutalk is a Bluetooth mouthpiece that “mutes” users who speak into it.

Musicians can get their instruments to sing by using sampled vocals or a vocoder, or they can mouth words in a tube running to an effects pedal. Now Casio has developed a keyboard that can voice words and phrases tapped into a mobile app.

When you're working out with dumbbells, stopping to add or remove weights can disrupt the whole flow of things. In order to keep those stops as short as possible, NordicTrack has introduced its voice-controlled iSelect Adjustable Dumbbells.

Tech startup Ampere has smartened up the humble sunglasses with Dusk, a pair of shades that change tint on demand via a phone app or a button press. A deluxe model also packs built-in speakers and a microphone for making calls.

Face masks are here to stay for a while yet – so you might as well have some fun with them. The JabberMask is a voice-activated wearable packed with LEDs that move like a mouth in time with your speech, and can smile or display emojis on demand.

The US Army is developing a voice interface that allows two-way dialogue between soldiers and autonomous robotic systems. The Joint Understanding and Dialogue Interface (JUDI) is designed to reduce training costs and improve soldier/robot teamwork.

Scientists have recreated the “voice” of a 3,000 year-old mummy by scanning the shape of his vocal tract, 3D printing a replica of it, then hooking it up to an electronic larynx. The resulting sound is a single vowel that's quite eerie.

​​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.