This is our very own Thermax, built by my wife.
The Thermax is PAiA's version of a Theremin which was invented by Leon Theremin in the early 1900s. The Theremin was one of the first (if not the first) electronic musical instruments. It is a monophonic instrument controlled "merely by waving one's hands in front of it". I would not call the Theremin a "synthesizer" because it really only has one timbre, not a lot of built in tweekability. I would call more of an alternative controller with a built in sound source; it's a great addition to a larger synth system. The Theremin does seem to have some respect among classical musicians and composers, this due to the excellent performances by Clara Rockmore, who was classically trained on the violin. The violin is an instrument of unquantized pitch like the Theremin