Concealed. A surveillance complaint.

2005-12-19T00:29:00.000-08:00

A surprisingly small presentation with videos. Feel free to download it and see the whole process.

Complete presentation

A complete review of the project, haven't followed the whole thing? Check this out!

2005-12-18T23:55:00.000-08:00

Here's the final video for this semester:

Spotting a camera

We hope to have some comments on our project.
Please do not hesitate to contact us.

And Merry Christmas/Hannukah/New Year/Happy Birthday/Summer vacations/Independence Day/Thanksgiving/etc...

2005-12-18T23:51:00.000-08:00

We have finally reached the final prototype, it's a shame we haven't got the RF detector. We should sue the company we ordered it from.

2005-12-12T09:40:00.000-08:00

Concealed is a headgear(hood) with an embedded market-ready RF
camera detector that gives the user audio feedback regarding wireless
cameras on the surroundings. It allows the user to hide from the
camera once the detector has noticed the presence of
any wireless camera.

Concealed is made out of opaque materials, suede on the outside,
felt on the inside; meant to establish a direct dialogue with the
camera through the intrinsic non-light-reflective
qualities of the chosen materials.

Camera detection is possible through a device ranging from
1.2GHz to 2.4 GHz giving Concealed a range from 3mt to 70cm.

The prototype presented is part of a bigger project intended
to comment on surveillance systems. Where intimacy belongs
to others while you are walking in the streets or going to school.

Concealed was originally meant to kill electronic devices through more powerful devices. EMP: Electro magnetic pulse. EMF: Electro magnetic field.

2005-12-12T09:39:00.000-08:00

A final video showing Concealed on the streets will be up soon. Hope to see you here next week.

2005-12-12T09:37:00.000-08:00

We are going to show our TRUE prototype today. We haven't got the RF detector, that's sad, we had to make a dummy to understand the basic dimensions and build the suede version.

2005-12-12T08:58:00.000-08:00

Design Process.

We have gone through a lot of steps with this project. From mini paper prototypes to 1:1 paper prototypes, fabric prototypes, to the final fabric prototype, here is the link to a video showing our process.

Design Process

See us in action!

: )

2005-12-12T08:55:00.000-08:00

The first design was too risky. thinking of it as a fetish-like type of garment is too easy. We now are trying to avoid that, Concealed is aiming at different things and we are not interested in sexual issues. The project is becoming smaller in scale: that will let us handle the technical matters properly.

2005-12-12T08:34:00.000-08:00

Our first approach to the project

Contents:

-Images of a surveillance camera in Manhattan: Fifth Ave @ 49th St
-Introduction. What we think is happening with surveillance.
-A map from 1998 showing surveillance cameras at that time.
(We have more recent maps, available upon request, or google video surveillance camera players and go to their website)
-What we want from 'Concealed':
Concealed explores the contradiction of surveillance.
Establishing a dialogue between the one using it, and the surveillance system.
Your trail is still self - evident, but now you can give them a hard time.
-First design proposal. Find it here: Maybe this is too much!

2005-11-28T14:18:00.000-08:00

Moodboard

2005-11-28T14:05:00.000-08:00

Abstract

Integrated into this garment is an RF wireless camera detector which allows the wearer to be aware of when they are being surveilled, giving them the choice to either avoid the camera or to remain visible to the camera’s lens.

Introduction

You have been followed by cameras, servers have been tracking your moves on the web, your best friend is now a PDA, Amazon knows your preferences, eBay has access to your accounts, your bank has access to eBay and to your preferences in Amazon. Your trail is self-evident. Ones and zeros are opening up your world to everybody.

With technology advancing rapidly and being incorporated into ones homes, work space and clothing, one does not realize the lack of freedom that it is replacing. Through technology people become more connected to each other and their surroundings, lead a more convenient life, yet leave a trail of information surrounding their identity. As this becomes the case, anyone with the means to can use technology to track another down. When safety becomes a concern, it is more likely that people will use technology to monitor, keep others safe, and thus take away an individual’s freedom. This is the case with governments who amplify fear, to then gain approval of its citizens, to monitor them. Our bank accounts, amazon accounts, anything we have become a member of, even the spam that appears in our email accounts, give our personal information away.

There are two types of surveillance. Continuous surveillance takes place around ones identity, through agreements with the bank, ones phone provider and any memberships that one has gained admittance to. Then there is a momentary and almost anonymous kind, that happens when one body is being monitored by a camera in a public space.
The piece makes use of the second kind of surveillance, which deals with the physical body being monitored. In this case the garment can detect any wireless RF signal coming from a surveillance camera, the discrete LED on the detector lights up and the one wearing the piece knows that they are within the vicinity of a camera.

Design

The garment explores the contradicting feeling one can have towards surveillance. One where one wants to be monitored in public space, knowing that it ads to ones security, while at the same time, hoping to have a moment of privacy.
The design is that of a hood. Connected to the hood is a scarf. Embedded into the scarf is a camera detector. As one is has the scarf around ones neck, the far ends are hanging free. The RF detector is under one of these far ends of the scarf as the LED, which gives the wearer feedback about their surroundings, is exposed.
The wearer can now choose whether he wants to put on the hood for privacy, or not.

RF-Detecting Technology

Wireless camera detectors read the wireless radio waves surveillance cameras transmit and alerts the individual with the detector via a blinking LED light and an audible alarm.

Most detectors are based on the principle of optical augmentation. This refers to when light reflected from a focused optical system such as a video camera, is then reflected back along the same path as the light that read it. This means that if the hidden camera is illuminated and viewed by the camera detector, then a strong reflection from the target camera will reveal its position to the user.
The sensitivity tuner automatically scans variable distances and multiple channels. The Wireless-Camera detecting device that will be incorporated into a fashion piece, is a low cost system for measuring RF signals in the frequency range of 50MHz to 3GHz. If the wireless camera is functioning at 1.2GHz, the detecting distance is 3 meters, whereas if it is at 2.4GHz, the distance is only 70cm.
Its high sensitivity allows measurements at low power levels, reducing the amount of power needed to be linked to the signal detector. In essence, it is a voltage-responding device, with a signal range of 1.25mV to 22mVrms or -45dBm to 0dBm, using the resistance of 50 Ohmns.
It uses a 6V lithium battery.

Conclusion

We are being surveilled, every day, with every transaction we make. This piece is wearable, with the technical capacity to monitor and give feedback to the wearer about their surroundings. One is thus given a choice to either be partly concealed or completely exposed.

People need to be part of a social structure in order to feel psychologically balanced. As our social structure today is infiltrated with technology, that can monitor one’s every move, the piece created does not abolish the whole system, for that would not be beneficial to the individual and the structure they have gradually become accustomed to. It does however give the wearer the freedom of choice of how they are going to react to the technology they know is around them. Through awareness they have become powerful.