The machine has undergone a uniquely innovative, collaborative, and thoughtful process of development and evolution. Early experiments began with a novel project-based course at Drexel University’s ExCITe Center sponsored by Drexel’s Lenfest Center for Cultural Partnerships, where students from Mechanical, Electrical, and Biomedical Engineering collaborated with peers from the Music Industry Program to prototype and refine the core mechanics and software. Under Daniel Belquer’s leadership, four distinct prototypes emerged, and elements were combined, elevated, and re-engineered by a team of Drexel students and interns over the summer, ultimately evolving into the piece premiering at Opera Philadelphia's 50th Anniversary Gala Performance.

The project’s title, Vox Ex Machina, draws inspiration from ancient Greek theater’s “Deus Ex Machina”—a stage device used to introduce gods into mortal dramas. Here, however, it is the human voice itself that descends as the divine force, shaping the stage and altering the environment.

Presented as part of Opera Philadelphia’s 50th Anniversary Season, Vox Ex Machina offers a radical rethinking of operatic tradition: an encounter where voice is not only heard but seen, sculpted, and inscribed into the world. It is intended to honor and celebrate this genre, which has driven artistic and technological innovation for centuries.