Brighter than a Thousand Suns: A Uniform to Detect and Display Radiation

Abstract

This paper describes a recent art project in which a uniform allows to detect and display nuclear radiation. Here, wearable technology is interpreted as contemporary samurai gear. The uniform comprises of a helmet with an ornament, a handheld scanning device and a box with a microcontroller. It is completed by a protective suit. The ground scanning device contains a Geiger counter kit which sends signals through the microcontroller to the ornament on the helmet which is equipped with an LED-strip. The ornament lights up in response to the measurements coming from the device. The major part of this artwork is a full HD single channel video of about 15 minutes duration that shows a young man wearing the uniform and scanning the devastated areas near the nuclear power stations in Fukushima. The video was filmed on location in May 2016.