Alshar Named One of the Top Five Innovations of 2024 by Bloomberg Adria
At the start of 2025, the humanoid DJ robot Alshar, developed by Prof. Anis Sefidanis and his team at Sefidanis Research & Development in Ohrid, was officially recognised as one of the five domestic innovations that defined 2024 by Bloomberg Adria. The news was first picked up locally by OhridPress, which reported on 2 January 2025 that the robot DJ from Ohrid had earned a place on Bloomberg Adria’s year-end innovation list, underlining both the technological ambition behind the project and its growing regional impact.OhridPress+1
In its feature “Five Domestic Innovations That Marked 2024,” Bloomberg Adria describes 2024 as a remarkably productive year for Macedonian innovators, highlighting a set of inventions that attracted attention abroad as much as at home. Alongside sustainable “bio-leather” made from kombucha, an AI-powered jukebox recycling bin, emotion-sensing smart glasses and a safety-oriented motorcycle blazer, the article singles out Alshar as the only humanoid robot on the list. The piece notes that this first Macedonian humanoid robot DJ, built at human scale, played its debut set in a well-known Ohrid club in September 2024 and is already “planning” further engagements.Bloomberg Adria
Bloomberg Adria emphasises that Alshar is designed to generate original music using artificial intelligence, not just to play pre-recorded tracks. The robot is constructed from metal and plastic, with extensive use of 3D printers and CNC machining, and even has a custom-tailored wardrobe. Its upper torso is based on the open-source InMoov platform, which has been extended with additional modules and sensors to improve performance and responsiveness. For motion control, the team relies on Raspberry Pi and Arduino – open-source technologies that drive the servomotors and other mechatronic components – while the control software is written in Python and C, fully developed in-house by the Sefidanis R&D team.Bloomberg Adria
A key aspect of the innovation, as Bloomberg Adria explains, is the way Alshar uses its sensors to interpret the environment. The robot attempts to understand the context it is in and respond to questions and commands issued by people around it. Input signals can be spoken requests or visual cues such as gestures and symbols, while its responses include synthesised speech, coordinated movements of various body parts, object manipulation and performance actions that are appropriate to the setting. In other words, Alshar is conceived as an interactive performer capable of reading the room and adjusting both behaviour and music accordingly.Bloomberg Adria+1
OhridPress builds on this description by presenting the recognition as a point of pride for the city. Its article stresses that the robot, created by “the man from Ohrid” Prof. Anis Sefidanis, now stands among the five innovations that shaped 2024 according to one of the region’s most influential business and finance media outlets. The portal reminds readers that Alshar had its first public performance in September 2024, when Sefidanis Research & Development unveiled the robot DJ at club Rebel in Ohrid. That night, exactly at midnight as North Macedonia marked 33 years of independence, the humanoid figure “was born” on stage, matching human proportions and moving in a way that surprised guests who tested its autonomy by secretly changing mixer levels to see whether the robot would react on its own.OhridPress+2Иновативност+2
Earlier reports by technology outlet Inovativnost, re-aggregated by regional portals, give more detail on this debut performance and the creative concept behind it. They explain that Alshar’s sets include AI-composed tracks such as “Lorandite,” produced entirely on a high-performance Nvidia DGX supercomputer operated by Sefidanis in Ohrid, as well as new interpretations of contemporary Macedonian electronic music. The aim is not only to demonstrate robotic DJ skills, but also to preserve and reimagine Macedonian art and cultural heritage by allowing an AI-driven performer to remix local motifs into styles that resonate with younger audiences.Иновативност+2Time.mk+2
International media added further layers to the story. Telegrafi, in an English-language feature titled “Meet Dj Allshar, the robot made in Macedonia, which makes music through artificial intelligence,” describes Alshar as the first robot of its kind not only in the Balkans but beyond, built over several years of work in the Sefidanis laboratory. The article highlights Alshar’s human-like appearance, gesture-based communication and expressive “face,” noting that a network of computers inside the robot and externally coordinate its movements and audio processing with the help of cutting-edge AI models and powerful Nvidia hardware.Telegrafi+1
The Albanian-language portal Koha, which republished the same story, points out that while the robot does not feel emotions in a human sense, it observes the audience through computer vision and machine learning, analysing facial expressions and body language to infer mood, engagement and even demographic characteristics. This analysis informs how Alshar changes genres, adjusts tempo or decides to generate new tracks live, turning the DJ booth into a real-time laboratory of human–robot interaction. Coverage by Radio MOF and other Macedonian outlets presents Alshar as a fusion of artificial intelligence and mechatronics that is expected to appear in more clubs across the region.Koha+2Koha+2
The recognition from Bloomberg Adria therefore lands in a rich context. For more than a year, Alshar has attracted attention from regional and international media as an example of how deep-tech and creativity can be combined in a small city like Ohrid. The Bloomberg list crystallises that attention by placing the robot alongside other breakthrough innovations from Macedonian entrepreneurs, students and professors, and by explicitly noting its potential for wide application and further development. Social-media posts from Sefidanis and the University of Information Science and Technology “St. Paul the Apostle” celebrated the announcement as evidence that a project born in a local R&D lab can stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the most original products in the Adria region.Facebook+2Facebook+2
For Sefidanis as a brand, being named one of the five innovations that marked 2024 by Bloomberg Adria is both a milestone and a starting point. It validates years of work at the intersection of artificial intelligence, robotics, music and cultural heritage, and reinforces the mission to show that world-class deep-tech experiences can be created in Ohrid and exported worldwide. From here, Alshar’s story moves into its next chapters: new performances, new collaborations with human DJs and artists, and new generations of humanoid platforms that will continue to explore what it means for humans and robots to share creativity on the same stage.Bloomberg Adria+1
References / Sources and original publication dates
Reference 1: OhridPress – “Роботот Dj Алшар на охриѓанецот Анис Сефиданис е помеѓу 5-те иновации кои ја обележаа 2024 година според Bloomberg Adria,” Ohrid, 2 January 2025.OhridPress
Reference 2: Bloomberg Adria – Ѓорге Стојанов, “Пет домашни иновации што ја обележија 2024 година,” Innovation / Inspiration section, 31 December 2024.Bloomberg Adria+1
Reference 3: Inovativnost – “Првиот македонски робот диџеј вчера ‘настапи’ во охридски клуб!,” report on Alshar’s debut at club Rebel in Ohrid on the night of 8–9 September 2024, published 9 September 2024.Иновативност+1
Reference 4: Telegrafi – “Meet ‘Dj Allshar’, the robot made in Macedonia, which makes music through artificial intelligence,” Culture section, 30 September 2024.Telegrafi+1
Reference 5: Koha / Time.mk – “Meet ‘Dj Allshar’, the robot made in Macedonia, which makes music through artificial intelligence,” syndicated piece in the Tech section, 30 September 2024.Koha+1
Reference 6: Radio MOF – “Запознајте го Алшар – првиот хуманоиден робот ди-џеј во Македонија,” video feature on the first performances of Alshar in Rebel club Ohrid, late September 2024.Facebook
Reference 7: Facebook – Sefidanis official page, post “Според Bloomberg Adria хуманоидниот робот #Алшар е еден од 5-те иновации кои ја обележаа минатата година,” confirming Bloomberg Adria recognition, early January 2025.Facebook
Reference 8: Facebook – Sefidanis official page, post “Благодарам Ohrid Press🦾🪩,” sharing the OhridPress article about Alshar being among the five innovations of 2024, 2 January 2025.Facebook
