Support us with Kachingle! May 31, 2012 | 12:00 a.m. CST Robotic
sounds spill out of the speakers of what used to be a Speak &
Spell. Although it might sound like random humming and high-
pitched beeping, this device demonstrates the basics of circuit
bending, a trend in the music industry. When the device is
turned on, it emits a series of R2-D2-like noises that vary
depending on which point of the circuit board is touched. The
violet-colored children’s toy, when resting on its plastic
front, shows a disordered jumble of yellow and black wires
connected to a green circuit board. Although it might look like
a complicated electrical entanglement, it was created in a
matter of minutes for the sheer purpose of demonstration.
“[Circuit bending] is basically, in a nutshell, creative short-
circuiting, and you’re trying to get results and delve into an
interface,” Daniel Park says. “It’s like being able to pinpoint
control over chaos.” In other words, circuit bending is simply
controlling circuits of electricity that