The karaoke speaker from the future

MY WIFE has a high tolerance for really bonkers gadgets, having shared a home with everything from an ultrasonic beer foamer to a robotic French rabbit with the disturbing habit of whispering to itself at 2am.

But even so, she uttered a genuine ‘What on earth is that?’ when she saw the Lyric Cotodama speaker in action. Even the cat was transfixed.

It’s like a karaoke machine from the far future, with a translucent screen that displays the lyrics to songs as it plays, in rotating fonts that swirl around in time to the music.

If the Cotodama showed up in a distant-future sci-fi film such as Blade Runner, you wouldn’t bat an eyelid.

It’s almost entirely transparent, which makes it even cooler, with two speakers and a volume knob on the front, and the ‘brain’ hidden inside a speaker-like circle on the back.

The 22in translucent screen lights up and syncs instantly to a database of two million songs to find the lyrics. The effects match the music: pop songs swirl around the screen with effects like ink drops, while hard rock appears in big square fonts, as if someone’s rubber-stamping the screen from inside.

It works with an iPhone or Android app, and it’s surprisingly simple to set up: it hops on to your wi-fi network, and works with streaming apps such as Spotify. It feels halfway between a gadget and an art installation – but sadly, it has the price to match, as each one of these is hand-made to order in Japan.