Sometimes, things are built not because there's any need for them, but simply because people want to build them. We'd say that the Parker Steam Synthesizer falls firmly into this category.
This, as its name so clearly suggests, is a synth that's powered by steam. There's no electricity involved - the instrument can be run on coal, hexamine, ethanol or propane.
If you want to find out more about how the thing works, check out the explanation on the inventor's website. Better still, you can see the thing in action by watching this video.
