Spectropolis projects: Hotspot Bloom by Karen Lee

About Hotspot Bloom: Hotspot Bloom is a wearable flower that glows and changes color to indicate the signal strength of a nearby wireless network (802.11b/g).   With its mobile interface, Hotspot Bloom allows people to immediately identify hotspots and to become vehicles of information, creating visibility by the simple act of walking through a public space. There are over 183 community hotspots in Manhattan alone including seven open parks.Yet, these open access points are oftentimes overlooked or unacknowledged outside of the wi-fi community. Hotspot Bloom is, thus, an attempt to distinguish these services. The design is derived from the metaphor of nurturing a flower and emblematic for the growth and robustness of information that is steadily becoming more ubiquitous in our daily surroundings.   The robustness of plant life and the vibrant colors of nature are simulated through full-spectrum LEDs controlled by PICs monitoring the location for wireless access points. Based on a hot-to-cold scale, Hotspot Bloom glows red in a location with a strong wi-fi signal, green to orange for a medium signal, blue for a low signal, and pulses blue if there is no signal available at all.

About Karen Lee: Karen Lee is a media artist investigating the convergence of wearable computing and wireless technologies that enhance the relationship between people and their environments. She received her undergraduate degree in Fine Art from the University of California Santa Cruz and her graduate degree in Design and Technology from Parsons School of Design.

For more information about Spectropolis, please contact dana@nycwireless.net.

Spectropolis thanks these organizations for their help: Bway.net, Wiselephant, Justin T. Molloy and jtmdsgn, B Squared Design, Starworks, and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation

© 2004 NYCwireless, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC), and The Alliance for Downtown New York (DTA). All rights reserved.