Panoramic Wifi Camera from Adam Somlai-Fischer on Vimeo.

I am never surprised by the insane things people make, but this “camera” is pretty amazing.

Essentially, the camera can take pictures of the radio spectrum by spotting the varying intensities within the spectrum. The pictures come out looking like a copy from a broken printer, but the it’s the principle people, the principle!

With the camera we can take real time “photos” of wifi (and we’re working towards having video too). These show how our physical structures are illuminated by this particular electromagnetic phenomenon and we are even able to see the shadows that our bodies cast within such “hertzian” spaces.

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We do this basically by pointing a wifi antenna (or several antennas) and measuring the signal strength throughout a view – the faster we can do this, the faster we can create full-screen images.

The machine also gives a good glimpse at the inundation of these waves that blast us every day from our routers, microwaves and the radio. I’m not saying go out and get a tinfoil hat, but at least some tinfoil underwear.

The machine has the added benefit of looking like something out of steampunk villain’s workshop.

[Via Make Magazine]

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