Voice of America Showcases the Sefidanis Humanoid DJ Robot from Ohrid
On 25 July 2024, Voice of America’s Macedonian Service published a feature under the headline “An innovator from Ohrid has created a humanoid robot: a DJ job in a club will be its first ‘workplace’,” bringing international attention to the humanoid robot developed in Ohrid by Prof. Dr. Anis Sefidanis and his research and development company Sefidanis.ВОА The report presents the robot as a fully functional humanoid system that looks, listens and acts with the help of advanced sensors, robotics and artificial intelligence, and it highlights that the first deployment is planned in Ohrid’s tourism and hospitality sector as a club DJ.ВОА+1
According to Voice of America, the humanoid robot – later introduced to the public under the name Alshar – is conceived as an “automatic worker” capable of taking over both repetitive and creative tasks. Prof. Sefidanis explains that the robot can function as a bartender, DJ or waiter, can work three shifts, refine service processes, operate at a hotel reception, manage reservations and bookings, and prepare coffee or cocktails while communicating in multiple languages, including distant ones such as Chinese and Hebrew.ВОА In the same story, the robot is described as having natural human dimensions, with its teeth crafted by a dental clinic and its movements evaluated by a physiotherapist to ensure a convincingly human-like gait and posture.ВОА
The broader technical and conceptual framework of the project is elaborated in an in-depth interview published by ResPublica on 8 August 2024. There, Prof. Sefidanis explains that the humanoid was designed to operate in real social environments: it can grasp and move objects, rotate and assemble components, mix liquids and manipulate tools, while engaging in efficient communication with users through speech, gestures and a rich multimodal interface.respublica.edu.mk The system combines mechatronics for gross and fine motor control with software modules based on modern artificial intelligence, including neural networks that merge supervised and unsupervised machine learning. Using its onboard sensors, the robot continuously collects data from its surroundings and processes them in real time in order to anticipate upcoming events and adjust its behaviour.respublica.edu.mk
The development of the humanoid is the result of a multi-year research journey that began around 2016–2017, preceded by extensive scientific work in mechanical engineering and artificial intelligence.ВОА+1 The hardware architecture relies on a network of embedded computers inside the robot’s body and additional external systems for motor control and high-level logic.Telegrafi Open-source technologies such as Raspberry Pi and Arduino provide control of servomotors and mechatronic components, while the upper torso is based on the InMoov reference design, extended with additional modules and sensors for more efficient operation.respublica.edu.mk+1 On the software side, the team at Sefidanis has developed its own stack in Python, Java and C, running on an NVIDIA supercomputing platform that hosts four Tesla-class processors, used to train and deploy advanced AI models.respublica.edu.mk+1
From the outset, the project brought together a wide interdisciplinary team. Engineers in mechanical and information sciences collaborated with medical experts who understand human anatomy and biomechanics, as well as aestheticians and industrial and fashion designers responsible for mapping natural human proportions into robotic form.respublica.edu.mk+1 The result includes the first Macedonian clothing collection “For Humans and Robots,” designed under the Sefidanis® techwear paradigm to ensure maximum mobility for both human and robotic bodies.respublica.edu.mk+1 The wings were created by Macedonian designer Zoran Kardula, while the robot’s torso, head and arms follow the sculptural language of French artist Gaël Langevin’s InMoov.mixmagadria.com Students from multiple Macedonian universities and Erasmus+ participants from across Europe also took part, turning the robot into a collaborative educational platform as well as an innovation.respublica.edu.mk+1
The humanoid DJ robot is the logical continuation of a broader line of “digital humanity” projects developed by Sefidanis. Prior to the humanoid, the company realized the Smart Monument of Grigor Prlichev in Ohrid and the “Monument of the Future,” an interactive totem that uses artificial intelligence to act as a “virtual traveler from the future” installed at the University of Information Science and Technology “St. Paul the Apostle” in Ohrid.Ekonomski.mk+1 These installations demonstrate how AI-driven expert systems can help preserve cultural heritage while opening new forms of public interaction, and they laid the conceptual and technical groundwork for a fully embodied humanoid able to operate among people.Ekonomski.mk+1
The prediction made in the original Voice of America piece – that the robot’s first engagement would likely be as a DJ in an Ohrid nightclub – materialised only weeks later.ВОА On the night of 8–9 September 2024, exactly at midnight when North Macedonia marked the 33rd anniversary of its independence, Sefidanis Research & Development unveiled the humanoid under the name Alshar at Club Rebel in Ohrid.Иновативност+1 During this premiere, Alshar performed an original composition titled “Lorandite,” named after the rare mineral discovered in the Macedonian Alshar mine. The track, a progressive techno piece that weaves in verses from the song “Zavetna” by Bojana Skenderovski, was fully generated with the help of artificial intelligence running on the NVIDIA DGX supercomputer owned by Sefidanis.Иновативност+2mixmagadria.com+2 In its DJ set, the robot also selected contemporary works from the Macedonian multimedia collective PMG, blending modern electronic music with elements of local cultural heritage.mixmagadria.com+1
In interviews following the premiere, Prof. Sefidanis emphasised that Alshar is designed not only to reproduce music but to anticipate the expectations and musical sensibilities of the audience, raising the overall experience of nightlife.mixmagadria.com+1 With six computers embedded in its body and additional logic running on external systems, the robot can analyse and transform existing Macedonian or Albanian songs in real time into trance or techno interpretations, and it can even generate entirely new genres suited to future generations.Telegrafi+1 The project has since attracted interest from well-known DJs who wish to perform alongside the humanoid, as well as from international events in Italy and Spain where Alshar is being presented through digital conferences.Telegrafi+1
Beyond the spectacle of a robot behind the DJ booth, the story that begins with the Voice of America report is ultimately about a new phase of human-robot coexistence. For Sefidanis, the humanoid DJ is both a research platform and a public ambassador for a future in which robots take on socially useful roles in tourism, hospitality, healthcare and creative industries. By combining advanced mechatronics, powerful AI infrastructure and a strong narrative rooted in Macedonian culture, the project demonstrates how frontier technologies can be developed locally and positioned globally, while still remaining deeply connected to the place where they were born – Ohrid.ВОА+2respublica.edu.mk+2
References / Sources and original publication dates
Reference 1: Voice of America Macedonian Service, “Иноватор од Охрид создаде хуманоиден робот: Диџеј во клуб ќе му биде прво ‘работно’ место,” 25 July 2024.ВОА
Reference 2: Економски.мк, “Економски извор без граници – роботот диџеј од Охрид,” re-publishing and expanding the VOA story with additional context on Sefidanis projects, 25 July 2024.Ekonomski.mk
Reference 3: ResPublica, interview “Анис Сефиданис: Првиот хуманоиден робот во Македонија живее во Охрид,” 8 August 2024.respublica.edu.mk
Reference 4: Smart SDK, “Првиот македонски робот диџеј Алшар,” coverage of the premiere of the humanoid DJ robot and the composition “Lorandit,” 8 September 2024.СМАРТ – СДК МК
Reference 5: Inovativnost.mk, “Првиот македонски робот диџеј вчера ‘настапи’ во охридски клуб!,” detailed report on Alshar’s debut at Club Rebel in Ohrid, 9 September 2024.Иновативност
Reference 6: Mixmag Adria, “U Sjevernoj Makedoniji konstruiran prvi AI robot DJ,” regional feature on Alshar as the first AI DJ robot, 12 September 2024.mixmagadria.com
Reference 7: Telegrafi.com, “Meet ‘Dj Allshar’, the robot made in Macedonia, which makes music through artificial intelligence,” English-language profile of the humanoid DJ robot and its technology, 30 September 2024.Telegrafi
