A ‘real’ voice for students with disabilities

TicToc Tonight

TGIF, TicToc readers! Start your weekend in high spirits with these 10 uplifting stories from the past week.

1. Meet Yona, thesongwriting and singing robot. The auxiliary human has been trained by AI to write lyrics and melodies, sing them, and learn from reactions to her music posted online.

2. A 'real' voice for students with disabilities. The National Star is working with volunteers to create personalized voices that match the age, accent, and even gender of the students.

3. Sci-fi brought to life with touchable, 3D holograms. For the first time ever, scientists have engineered holograms using sound waves to suspend and shape polystyrene beads in the air.

4. Million dollar Marvel. A 1939 comic book that laid the groundwork for the Avengers, Spider-Man, and the X-Men sold for $1.26 million at a Dallas auction.

5. Print, season and enjoy! This faux-meat companies is developing 3D-printed meats, including a meatless steak that's fatty, juicy and perfectly meaty.

6. New HIV infections are falling worldwide. Also, fewer people are dying of AIDS-related disease thanks to the expanding access to treatment.

7. H&M may be going green. The retailer is testing a clothing rental service to help combat waste and pollution attributed to the fashion industry.

8. Whales outperform trees in the climate change battle. Research shows that these sea giants absorb an average of 33 tons of CO2 in their lifetimes.

9. Black Friday has gone international. Retailers around the world are offering November deals to give sales an end-of-the-year boost.

10. This avatar-style robot is helping disabled people experience the outside world. It allows them to remotely see through its eyes, talk with its voice and gesture with its arms and avoid isolation.

Now that you're in a better mood... Tell your friends to sign up to receive our newsletter five days a week, and follow us on Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.

Have a great weekend!

-Masiel Torres