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by the KGB, forced to return to the Soviet Union, sent to work in a Siberian mine by Stalin, then used to develop spy gagets.Theremin also invented the first motion detector for automatic doors. His remarkable life is the subject of the fasinating documentary film, Theremin - An Electronic Odyssey.
The emergence of technological music making devices like the theremin has prompted some hilarious spin-offs. In 1956 Gerard Hoffnung staged concerts at the Royal Festival Hall in London featuring classical music performed on domestic appliances such as vacuum cleaners and hosepipes.

Some composers choose to work with instruments classified as "Imaginary Technologies of the 'Pataphysical", imagined, unreal or as-yet unbuildable devices.
The Australian composer Percy Grainger (1882-1961) dreamt of a new music that would be realised by imaginary technologies. In 1948 he created many unusual music generating methods and machines including the 'Kangaroo Pouch Machine', which uses undulating paper rolls to manipulate the pitch, volume and timbre generated by eight electric oscillators.
Synaesthesia seems to have been one frequent cause of the development of these imaginary musical technologies. Synaesthesia is the medical term for a confusion of the senses: people hear colours, or see sounds, for example. A number of composers have suffered from synaesthesia most notably Olivier Messiaen and Alexander Scriabin. In Scriabin's case the result was a piece of imaginary music technology that he composed numerous works for: the Color Organ. This instrument resembled a musical keyboard, except that depression of the keys produces a colored light rather than a sound. Of course music and light shows are commonplace now, but the Color Organ was never satisfactorily realized during Scriabin's lifetime (1871-1915).
Sometimes the simple ones are best.
The Musical Saw was an instrument popular before the advent of amplification. It takes some practice, but the saw can sound like an eerie soprano voice. Take one normal wood saw, the longer the better. Sit down on a chair, and clamp the saw handle between your knees. Grip the tip of the saw with your thumb over the top, fingers underneath. Bend the saw down with your thumb and use your fingers to produce an s-shape with the blade. Now tap the saw at the centre of the bend. You should get a ringing sound. Bend the saw a little further down, and the note will get higher. Professional saw players (they do exist; listen to the opening tune of the movie "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest") use a cello bow and controlled knee movements to modulate the blade's whine. A few companies make specialist musical saws, which are more flexible and less sharp than wood saws. If you enjoy the unlikely combination of playing the saw and using a computer, check out The International Musical Saw Association (formerly the California Saw Player's Association) at: http://www.sawplayers.org for lots of resources and links.

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