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'Wifi Camera' Documents the Unseen Realm of Wireless Communication

by Matthew Zuras on April 23, 2010 at 04:50 PM

We're all more or less aware that we exist in a world that is largely invisible to the human eye. The machinations of physiology are too small to perceive, and the vast majority of the electromagnetic spectrum simply doesn't register with our peepers. But we're quite literally surrounded by electromagnetic waves, with radiation emitted by the sun and naturally-occurring radioactive particles from sources like radon. And, with the advent of the radio in the late 19th century, we began to produce more and more electromagnetic radiation that has exponentially exploded over the past century.

Bengt Sjölén and Adam Somlai Fischer, along with artist-cum-researcher Usman Haque, have developed the Wifi Camera to explore this invisible realm and how we move about it. By pointing a series of Wi-Fi antennas at a given space, the "camera" records the signal strengths of wireless transmitters and visually maps their expanse and movement. Waves at the Wi-Fi wavelength act similarly to visible light, bouncing off of solid objects and passing through transparent ones. And since Wi-Fi operates on radio waves, radiation from microwaves and cell phones (which rely on radio, too) appear in the picture, as well.

Check out a demonstration of one Wi-Fi Camera rig below. The team says on their site that they are working toward video capability; that would be fascinating indeed, since they are currently able to "see" people amidst the radiation, but only statically. [From: Wifi Camera]


Tags: Adam Somlai Fischer, AdamSomlaiFischer, Bengt Sjölén, BengtSjölén, camera, electromagnetic, photos, radiation, radio waves, RadioWaves, top, usman haque, UsmanHaque, web, wifi, wifi camera, WifiCamera, wireless

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