Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Feast your ears on the nightmarish melodies of this Furby-powered synth organ

THE FURBY ORGAN, A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT MADE FROM FURBIES

We’ve covered some pretty oddball musical instruments in our time at Digital Trends, but perhaps none weirder than this Furby Organ, which repurposes the “must-have” robot toy of the late 1990s to form a nightmarish choir.

Recommended Videos

“The Furby Organ is a musical machine made from Furby souls,” its creator, U.K.-based synth scientist and YouTuber Sam “Look Mum No Computer” Battle, told Digital Trends. “The Furbies gave me their consent to build them into a purpose-built organ machine, with each Furby assigned a musical note on the keyboard. Think of it as a Furby retirement home, but where the Furbies have to work for their supper.”

Okay, so that’s a fairly offbeat way of describing the instrument (although perhaps no more strange than one would expect from a man who has built a music machine made of furry bird-like creatures), but it does explain a bit about how it functions.

Seizing upon the synthesized chatter aspect of the Furby, Battle’s ingenious concept involves linking the creatures up to a MIDI keyboard that lets him control their chatter and movement. There’s the ability to loop sound, 45 tone controls for each Furby note output, knobs for changing the individual vowel sounds, and more. It’s all kinds of bizarre, but all kinds of brilliant, too.

“I came up with the idea a good six or seven years ago,” Battle said. “I was modifying Furbies for a few years. I bought a ton of Furbies, but I didn’t have the technical know-how, so the plans laid dormant for a few years. I found myself mentioning to people about this Furby Organ, but whenever I mentioned it, I felt like a dreamer with an empty idea, which got on my nerves. So this New Year’s Eve, I made a resolution to finish this idea. After four weeks of soldering and swearing at inanimate toys, the world has a Furby Organ!”

Furby Organ Vlog #2 - Building It

Sadly, it may well remain the world’s only Furby Organ. That’s because Battle is hanging up his gloves as a Furby instrument maker. “The Furby Organ is done, case closed,” he said. “The joke is on whoever is going to have to sort through all my crap after I conk it. Who the hell is going to want this creepy monstrosity of an end-of-days machine in their living room, staring them in their face?”

We’re guessing the answer may prove to be a few more folks than he might expect.

Luke Dormehl
I'm a UK-based tech writer covering Cool Tech at Digital Trends. I've also written for Fast Company, Wired, the Guardian…
Sebastian Stan lays out Bucky’s future after Thunderbolts
Sebastian Stan in Thunderbolts.

There are some spoilers ahead for the ending of Marvel's Thunderbolts. Stop reading now if you don't want to be spoiled.

Earlier this year, Captain America: Brave New World briefly introduced a new direction for James "Bucky" Barnes, a character Sebastian Stan has been playing since 2011 in Captain America: The First Avenger. In Brave New World, the former Winter Soldier apparently retired from being a reformed hero and went into politics by running for Congress. Thunderbolts reveals that Bucky won his election to the House of Representatives. But his stay in Congress was short.

Read more
Jeep Compass EV breaks cover—but will it come to the U.S.?
jeep compass ev us newjeepcompassfirsteditionhawaii  4

Jeep just pulled the wraps off the all-new Compass EV, and while it’s an exciting leap into the electric future, there's a catch—it might not make it to the U.S. anytime soon.
This is a brand new electric version of the Jeep Compass, and being built on Stellantis' STLA platform—the same architecture underpinning models like the Peugeot E-3008 and E-5008—it looks much slicker and packs a lot more inside than previous versions of the Compass.
Let’s start with what’s cool: the new Compass EV is packing up to 404 miles of range on a single charge, a 74 kWh battery, and fast-charging that gets you from 20% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Not bad for a compact SUV with Jeep's badge on the nose.
There are two versions: a front-wheel-drive model with 213 horsepower and a beefier all-wheel-drive version with 375 horsepower. That AWD setup isn’t just for looks—it can handle 20% inclines even without front traction, and comes with extra ground clearance and better off-road angles. In short, it’s still a Jeep.
The design's been refreshed too, and inside you’ll find the kind of tech and comfort you’d expect in a modern EV—sleek, smart, and ready for both city streets and dirt trails.
But here’s the thing: even though production starts soon in Italy, Jeep hasn’t said whether the Compass EV is coming to America. And the signs aren’t promising.
Plans to build it in Canada were recently put on hold, with production now delayed until at least early 2026. Some of that might have to do with possible U.S. tariffs on Canadian and Mexican vehicles—adding a layer of uncertainty to the whole rollout.
According to Kelley Blue Book, a Stellantis spokesperson confirmed that the company has “temporarily paused work on the next-generation Jeep Compass, including activities at” the Canadian plant that was originally meant to build the model. They added that Stellantis is “reassessing its product strategy in North America” to better match customer needs and demand for different powertrain options.
So while Europe and other markets are gearing up to get the Compass EV soon, American drivers might be left waiting—or miss out entirely.
That’s a shame, because on paper, this electric Jeep hits a lot of sweet spots. Let’s just hope it finds a way over here.

Read more
Charlie Cox singles out his least favorite Daredevil: Born Again episode
Charlie Cox in Daredevil: Born Again.

Daredevil: Born Again season 1 was largely reconceived after the 2023 actor and writer strikes. Dario Scardapane -- a veteran of The Punisher series on Netflix -- was brought in to be the new showrunner and he made a lot of changes to the series that were well-received. However, there's one episode that Scardapane didn't really change at all, and it happens to be the least favorite episode of Daredevil: Born Again's leading man, Charlie Cox.

During an appearance on The Playlist, Cox noted that he wasn't very fond of the season's fifth episode, "With Interest," which was a largely standalone episode that featured his character, Matt Murdock, in a bank during a hostage crisis.

Read more