He Lost His Voice As A Student. Now He Builds A Device That Lets People Sing.

Imagine waking up one day and not being able to talk to your friends. No jokes at lunch. No calling your family. No singing along to your favorite song.

That is what happened to Konrad Zielinski. He was a student at the University of Warsaw in Poland when an illness led doctors to remove his voice box, the part of your throat that makes sound when you speak. People who have this surgery need a device or a special tube to talk again.

Konrad tried the devices that already existed. He did not like them. So he decided to build a better one.

On September 29, TechCrunch reported that his company, Uhura Bionics, was picked as one of 200 early startups to show off their products at TechCrunch Disrupt, a big tech conference in San Francisco this October. His newest device is called Whitney, named after the singer Whitney Houston. And yes, he plans to sing on stage with it.

This is a story about science and business. But mostly it is a story about a powerful idea: the best problems to solve are often the ones you understand from the inside.

Before Uhura, most people who lost their voice box had two main choices, according to Konrad.

The first was a handheld device that you press against your neck. It makes a buzzing sound that your mouth shapes into words. It works, but it sounds flat and robotic.

The second was a small part placed inside the throat by surgeons. It can sound more natural, but it needs ongoing care to prevent problems.

When Konrad described the problem in 2022 on Patient Innovation, a website where patients share their own inventions, he said the existing devices were expensive, outdated, inconvenient, and unattractive. Because of that, he wrote, many people felt embarrassed to use them and avoided talking with others.

That is an important detail. The problem was not only about sound. It was about how people felt. A good invention solves both.

Konrad did not start with a company. He started with learning.

He studied cognitive science, which is the study of how the brain thinks, learns, and communicates. Then he went on to earn a PhD, the highest level of university degree, focused on bionic systems for people who have had their voice box removed. Bionic means using technology to help or replace a part of the body.

He also teamed up with others. He worked with Marek Grzelec, who became his technical co-founder, and he partnered with Respeecher, a company that makes voice technology. Respeecher used recordings of Konrad from before his surgery to build a voice model that sounded like his old voice. In an interview with Respeecher, he said he could not describe how excited he was about the results.

Notice the pattern. Konrad had the problem. He learned the science. Then he found partners who had skills he did not have. You do not need to do everything alone.

A prototype is an early version of an invention you build to test your idea. It does not need to be perfect. It needs to teach you something.

According to the team's Patient Innovation post, Uhura made its first prototypes in-house. They designed them so they could be built with 3D printing and parts you can buy off the shelf. Then they handed the first three devices to real users to test.

They also did a few other things that every young inventor can copy:

• They joined hackathons. A hackathon is an event where people build projects quickly, often in a weekend. It helped them sketch out how the business might make money.
• They ran user studies. That means asking people who have the problem what they need, then watching how they use your invention.
• They met with bigger companies. Talking to experts early helped them learn what the market wanted.

Three testers might not sound like much. But three real people using your invention will teach you more than a hundred people saying "cool idea."

Uhura sells two wearable devices, according to TechCrunch. A basic model costs $500. The more advanced Whitney costs $1,500. Whitney adds what Konrad calls an emotional layer, so users can laugh, shout, and even sing with feeling.

Right now the devices are sold as wellness products. That means customers pay the full price themselves. The company is working to get them approved as Class I medical devices, which is the lowest-risk group, first in Europe and later in the United States. That approval could let health insurance help pay for part of the cost.

This is a smart business lesson. The same product can reach more customers if someone else, like an insurance company, helps pay. Many inventors forget to ask: who pays, and how can I make it easier for them?

Konrad estimates the market for devices like his is about $2 billion. He also has competitors, including a medical company called Atos Medical and a startup called Laronix. Having competitors is normal. It usually means the problem is real.

You do not need a serious illness to find a good problem. You just need to notice what bugs you, your family, or your friends every day.

Try this with a notebook:

1. Write down five small annoyances. Maybe your backpack strap always slips. Maybe your grandma cannot read small labels. Maybe your little brother keeps losing his shoes.
2. Circle one you understand better than most people. The best problems are ones you live with.
3. Ask three people who share the problem what they wish existed. Listen more than you talk.
4. Build the simplest version you can. Cardboard, tape, a free app builder, or a school 3D printer all count.
5. Let someone test it. Watch what they do. Write down what confuses them.

If you want help turning your notes into a simple plan, Foundra has tools for young builders and their parents. A notebook and a curious mind are a great place to start too.

Here is one more lesson hiding in Konrad's story. Older devices worked. People could talk. But they sounded robotic, and many users felt uncomfortable.

Uhura's big idea was not just better sound. It was letting people show emotion. That is why Konrad compares his device to glasses. People wear glasses every day without feeling strange about it. He wants voice devices to feel just as normal.

When you design something, ask two questions:

• Does it work?
• Will people feel good using it?

If the answer to the second question is no, people may stop using your invention even if it works perfectly. Great engineers and great business owners think about both.

A quick safety note: projects that go inside or on the body, like medical devices, need adult experts and special testing. For a first project, stick to things that help from the outside, like tools, organizers, or apps.

Konrad Zielinski turned one of the hardest moments of his life into a company that helps others. He did it by:

1. Understanding the problem deeply, because he lived it.
2. Learning the science behind a solution.
3. Finding partners with skills he did not have.
4. Testing with real users early, even just three.
5. Thinking about who pays and how to make it easier for them.

Next month, he plans to sing on stage in San Francisco using a device he built. That is a pretty great answer to anyone who said it could not be done.

Who founded Uhura Bionics? Konrad Zielinski founded Uhura Bionics in 2023. He lost his voice while he was a student at the University of Warsaw and later earned a PhD studying bionic voice systems.

What does the Whitney device do? Whitney is a wearable device that helps people who have had their voice box removed speak with more emotion. It can help them laugh, shout, and sing.

How much do Uhura's devices cost? The basic model costs $500 and Whitney costs $1,500, according to TechCrunch.

What is a prototype? A prototype is an early version of an invention built to test an idea. It does not need to be perfect.

Can kids build assistive technology? Yes, with simple projects like tools, organizers, or apps that help from the outside. Anything that touches the body in a medical way needs adult experts.

1. After losing his voice to cancer, this founder is building 'glasses for voice', TechCrunch, September 29, 2026
2. Uhura Bionics: smart elegant devices providing freedom of communication, Patient Innovation
3. Advancing Voice Restoration: Respeecher's Collaboration with Researcher Konrad Zielinski, Respeecher
4. News, Uhura Bionics