Guy Ben-Ary has invented a new form of synthesiser powered entirely by his own brain cells with no computer intervention.

Guy Ben-Ary is the mastermind behind cellF – a newly created sound machine that’s powered entirely by human brain cells. This remarkable feat is the result of a four-year research and development project exploring the potential for artworks that combine human biology and robotic technologies. The pioneering musician and inventor is one of Australia’s most innovative minds and now the bionic artist has created another mind all of its own: an “external brain” that can control modular synthesisers.  

Ben-Ary received an Australia Council Fellowship in 2012 to begin working on a ‘self-portrait’ project in SymbioticA, a center for excellence in biological arts at the University of Western Australia. This development period has involved Ben-Ary growing a second “external brain” using his own bodily tissues. He took skin cells from his arm via biopsy and then converted them to neural stem cells using Induced Pluripotent Stem cell technology. This coaxed the cells back into their embryonic state, which then allowed Ben-Ary to reprogram the young cells to form a functional neural network over a Multi-Electrode Array dish – essentially...