Lev Sergeyevich Termen, better known as Leon Theremin, was a Russian inventor, most famous for his invention of the theremin, one of the first electronic musical instruments and the first to be mass-produced. He also worked on early television research. His secret listening device, "The Thing", hung for seven years in plain view in the United States ambassador's Moscow office and enabled Soviet agents to eavesdrop on secret conversations.
Lev Termen demonstrating the theremin, December 1927
Clara Rockmore and Leon Theremin
"The Thing"
The theremin is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer. It is named after its inventor, Leon Theremin, who patented the device in 1928.
A Moog Etherwave, assembled from a theremin kit: the loop antenna on the left controls the volume while the upright antenna controls the pitch.
Alexandra Stepanoff playing the theremin on NBC Radio, 1930
The components of a modern Moog theremin, in kit form
A robot playing the theremin