Wi-Fi Revealed Through Stunning Photos A researcher in the United Kingdom built a device that transforms wireless networks into light and sound.
By Nina Zipkin
While we are constantly relying on Wi-Fi networks to connect us to the news, social networks and email platforms, we are rarely (if ever) able to see how the invisible infrastructure look while delivering us this information. Luis Hernan, a student at Newcastle University's School of Architecture, is on a mission to change that.
Through his Digital Ethereal project, Hernan has produced vivid photos to illuminate the Wi-Fi networks that surround us. The researcher and Ph.D. candidate was able to achieve this sort of artwork thanks to a gadget he created called the Kirlian Device. The machine scans the wireless networks in the area and measures the signal strength of the Wi-Fi signals. Through long-exposure photography, the naked eye can see how the machine changes those signals into colorful LEDs.
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The result is an otherworldly take on found art, with the pictures showcasing beautiful ghostly lights (or "spectres" as Hernan calls the images) in everyday places. The source code for the device is available so anyone can make their own device. Taking the idea a step further, Hernan has also developed an Android app that senses the wireless fields around the phone and converts them into colors and sounds.
Check out the video below to see the app in action:
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