t h e r o i d
2026 - ongoing | audiovisual laser robotic instrument
THEROID (working title) is an ongoing collaborative project by Fredrik Gran and Niklas Elmehed, exploring the intersection of robotics, light, movement and sound.
At the centre of the work are two industrial robots that actively control and receive a laser beam, forming a continuously changing physical connection between them. The distance between the robots — and consequently the length of the beam — becomes a musical parameter, transforming spatial movement into sound in a manner reminiscent of a theremin.
Rather than using the robots simply as performers or controllers, THEROID treats the complete system — robots, laser, space, movement, sound and light — as a new audiovisual instrument.
The project is currently being developed with additional parameters, robotic behaviours and layers of sound and visual interaction, exploring how physical relationships between machines can become compositional material.