Lightsabers Make the Coolest Instruments

The theremin was invented, developed, and patented in the 1920s by Russian physicist Léon Theremin, and it’s one of the first examples of an electronic synthesizer. You probably recognize the theremin’s unique sound as the spooky, wobbly, unnatural tones often used in science fiction. That makes it the perfect instrument to make from a lightsaber, which is exactly what YouTuber LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER did.

Despite the auditory similarities, the actual lightsaber sound effect was created with a combination of old movie projector motors and interference from a TV. But, the otherworldly sci-fi sound of the theremin is just too tempting to pass up in a lightsaber-based instrument. Theremins generate their unique sound by reacting to the fluctuations your hands create in the electrical fields generated by the instrument’s antennas. But, this build takes a more modern approach with an accelerometer.

Embedded inside the hilt of the toy lightsaber is an accelerometer that tracks the angle of rotation in each of the three axes. That data is then output to an amplifier and processor unit in a rack, which converts it into tones based on how the lightsaber is oriented. When that’s combined with more traditional synthesizers, it’s capable of creating music that’s very close to an actual theremin. If you’ve got a toy lightsaber and an accelerometer laying around, this is a great instrument you can build in your spare time.