Boston company's mics boost voice-activated devices

A Boston-based startup is hoping its state-of-the-art microphones will power the scores of voice-enabled smart devices that Silicon Valley giants and industry experts expect will soon become fixtures in homes and businesses around the globe. "People communicate by speaking, that's one of our primary methods of communicating, that's how our brains are wired," said Vesper Technologies CEO Matt Crowley, whose company is developing microphones that can be used in smartphones, speakers, and just about anything else connected to the internet that can be controlled by the human voice. Vesper microphones are made using a special kind of crystal that naturally generates an electric signal when it bends. This electric signal is then treated like any other signal from a microphone -- making the smart devices of tomorrow capable of being activated with a single command. Crowley said the reason voice-controlled devices like the soon-to-be-released Google Home are so popular is because they have the potential to make the fun and cool things people currently do with their phones -- like turning on the lights or turning up the thermostat -- easier to do.