MoodBox: Meet the emotionally intelligent speaker on Indiegogo that wants to get to know you

The "world's first emotionally intelligent speaker", the MoodBox, has successfully achieved its initial funding goal of $40,000 (£28,000, €35,000).

The 360 degree omnidirectional device – set to begin worldwide shipping in August 2016 – houses an artificial intelligence named Emi, a voice-activated personal assistant that employs a predictive model of deep learning to choose the perfect tune to match your changing mood.

While at first glance the MoodBox looks deceptively like a typical Bluetooth music player crossed with a lava lamp, its creators are promising that the MoodBox will also tell you the time, give weather updates and act as a friendly alarm clock to break your slumber with appropriate lighting and wake-up melodies.

Developed by iVo Technologies, a company founded by students and alumni from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the MoodBox has been designed to predict the owner's emotional state via a dataset that recognises the pitch, energy and content of speech, which it then uses to determine which musical genre would suit their mood.

The initial launch of the MoodBox will only offer support for English and Mandarin, however iVo's Indiegogo page does state that firmware updates over Wi-Fi could add additional language options and even expand the range of interactions and responses Emi will be capable of.

"When you speak to MoodBox, the predictive engine delineates emotional state from tone of voice and content of speech," explained co-founder Pascale Fung. "If you are having recurring rainy days, or Monday blues, or feeling a lack of energy or inspiration at the office, MoodBox knows."

The MoodBox is certainly an interesting prospect, differentiating itself from rival omnidirectional voice-recognition speakers such as the Alexa AI-powered Amazon Echo with the promise of a more personalised experience that adapts to your changing mood.

How it would work in conjunction with an eclectic back catalogue of anthems will prove fascinating in real-life testing, though, especially as music is interpreted in a variety of ways by different people. Would a MoodBox assume that I'm a very angry individual because I'm partial to casually unwinding with blasts of heavy metal band Tool?

At time of writing only 40 units remain according to the Indiegogo listing, where the glowing, musical mood-guru has currently raised $51,534 and is now pushing for flexible stretch goals for additional colour models and support for SoundCloud's Hound, which could provide support for phone calls and text messages.