Technovelgy reports that Japanese roboticists are working hard on the talking head from Neuromancer - the one that talks without synth chips.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if I recall Neuromancer correctly, the talking head more closely resembled this screaming golden idol than this uncanny disembodied mouth:

I recall long ago seeing a much more crude version of this at the Exploratorium . That device could only grunt and wail like the audio from a cheap adult movie. The WT-6, referenced above, allegedly speaks perfect Japanese.