The EM Brace is a wearable device for physically engaging with the ambient electromagnetic radiation emitted by computers and other consumer electronics and electrical systems in general. The goal of this project is to make palpable and audible the hidden the invisible electromagnetic frequencies permeating everyday being, the same frequencies which provide the main transmission medium for radio, SMS text messaging, visible light, wireless internet connections and that radiate outwardly from any object with an active electrical current.
Our electronic objects reach out to us by creating low frequency electromagnetic fields. These ubiquitous frequencies penetrate and permeate our bodies at the molecular level, so spatially intimate experiences with electronics can be understood as the merging of our physical bodies with their electromagnetic embrace. As we humans have no natural means of sensing these frequencies, the EM Brace provides a way to physically exerience these frequencies by combining two of our natural senses, touch and hearing.
The device transforms electronically emitted electromagnetic signals into low-frequency audio waves that are used to vibrate the body via a homemade amplifier and "bass shaker" speaker mounted within an wearable metallic enclosure.
As a device for exploring and navigating these hidden "hertzian" spaces, the EM Brace accentuates the boundlessness of the quantum levels at which this microscopic merging of phyiscal bodies with electronics takes place, while simultaneously situating the body in relation to consumer and communication technologies.
Download the accompanying paper.
More info, including technical information, can be found on my blog