Every year, musicians, engineers, and inventors introduce the world to sounds we’ve never heard before. The Guthman Musical Instrument Competition is an annual event hosted by the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. The big reveal may have been virtual instead of in-person this year, but the creations were no less incredible! Here are the five amazing, never-before-seen instruments that took home the biggest prizes in 2021. 1. First Place: the Segulharpa. It took Ulfur Hansson of Reykjavik, Iceland, seven years to make this gorgeous electro-acoustic instrument! The circular walnut body holds 25 steel strings that are “bowed” by magnetic fields. Musicians use touch sensors in the wood to vibrate the strings, producing an eerie yet beautiful sound.