Imagine walking into a room where music flows not from instruments, but from moving tennis balls, coffee cups, and even fire extinguishers. This experiment by Axis Communications — the world’s first video surveillance camera orchestra — is set to make its global debut in September 2025.
With this experiment, the company offers a new perspective on video surveillance by showing how AI-powered cameras can be used in unexpected ways, including as part of a musical orchestra. Called The Object Detection Orchestra, this tech showcases how intelligent video technology can be customised to detect objects and trigger actions in real time.
The Object Detection Orchestra uses Axis Communications’ technology to reimagine Richard Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra, known from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Instead of traditional instruments, objects like tennis balls, coffee cups, and fire extinguishers act as triggers. The music is created through the movement of people and objects, captured and interpreted by the company’s AI-powered cameras.
For this performance, four musicians will operate four cameras, each of which will be connected to a computer and a live mixer. The company stated that the creative challenge was immense, as the musicians had to learn to play an ‘invisible instrument’. They navigated the challenge by coordinating precise mid-air movements to navigate the objects through the camera’s field of view and trigger the correct notes. The arrangement was created by veteran Swedish music producer Jonas Quant, in close collaboration with Axis Communications engineers. This collaboration helped transform a piece of classical music into a performance dependent on AI and/or object detection and real-time triggers.
The technology behind this unique performance showcases the innovation of Axis Communications. As the company explained, the system works by dividing the camera’s field of view into designated zones, with each zone assigned a specific musical note. When the camera’s AI-based analytics detects a designated object within a zone, it sends a real-time MQTT signal to a MIDI system, integrated with synthesizers, which then plays the corresponding sound. Each note is visually represented as a square within the camera frame, providing a visual cue for the performers.
According to Axis Communications, their AI-based analytics are different from other technologies because they can be trained to detect almost any object and trigger a variety of actions in real-time. This transforms surveillance cameras from passive monitors into a proactive, programmable sensor network, capable of triggering actions, automating workflows, and generating actionable intelligence.
Beyond ensuring safety in your premises, the technology can also help solve challenges in automation, smart city infrastructure, and operational efficiency. For example, this technology can automate monitoring and response, driving efficiencies in traffic management and public safety in a smart city set-up. In fields of manufacturing, logistics, retail, and healthcare, adaptable AI analytics can be used to innovate operations, improve safety, and provide valuable business intelligence.
The Object Detection Orchestra is more than just a musical show. It is a demonstration of how video surveillance technology can evolve well beyond its traditional role of just security. It showcases how the combination of AI-based analytics with high-performance cameras can create a powerful platform for innovation in operational efficiency, business intelligence, and automation.
Read more about the experiment here.
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