Mobilefest has always had this wide-angle view for mobile and wireless technologies, but to our surprise, examples where the cellphone or a hand-held device is not obvious caught the attention and the affection of the visitors.
With a trans-disciplinary approach, we have been asking this question –
How can mobile technology contribute to democracy, culture, art, ecology, peace, education, health and the third sector? Two projects have pricked visitor interest with varied questions: Ovu and The Aphrodite Project.
Ovu
A wearable device created by Kate Bauer allows women to track their fertility easily and stylishly. Raising questions about the usability of current basal temperature thermometers that create a not-so-stimulating mood for couples, Ovu is made up of a lace armband, with a highly sensitive thermistor attached on the inside that picks up changes in the Basal Body Temperature (BBT) of a woman.
“In researching methods of tracking fertility, I came across many different products. However, many of them shared similar flaws. The basal thermometer is complicated to use. It involves a lot of tracking and documentation and begins to resemble a science experiment at some point with all the charting involved. And after all of this planning and tracking, who is in the mood to make babies anyway?
Then there is the software available, either on the web or through downloading software for the computer. These graphs are even scarier-looking than those with the basal thermometer. What’s worse is that these charts are based on a number you type in, which is not always 100% accurate in predicting the correct cycle.
Composed of an Arduino Mini, a thermistor and a Bluetooth antenna. It connects a Java application on a cellphone that sends the data when a connection is available to a MySql web server where all the history is stored and accessible. Then, if she is ovulating a web application, she can text her and her partner’s mobile phone.
The Aphrodite Project
Platforms are shoes equipped with an audio alarm, LCD screen and GPS devices attached to them in the latest models that provide a complete, up-to-date set for prostitutes.
Created by a team led by Norene Leddy, the beauty of this project is its social goals and objectives. In her own words, “Platforms is designed to question moral attitudes and value judgments, especially with this marginalized section of the population: Who gets new technology and when? What is the true value of sexual services? Using an archetypal model, is it possible to reclaim the profession for modern women? What are the ethics of surveillance and tracking? Is it possible to ensure that this information will empower and not endanger sex workers? Is it ever possible to guarantee that knowledge will stay within the hands of those who it is intended for? The shoes address creativity and art-making as well as practical issues of design and marketability. It is my hope that in addition to creating beautifully crafted objects, the project will contribute to the current international debate over the regulation, decriminalization, and legalization of prostitution.”
The possibility of having all those techno-devices embedded in a shoe got so much attention from the Brazilian audience, first because of its attention towards it being seen as pretty trendy, then knowing more about the complete scope and complexity of the project, with the audience asking questions of why and how it was developed. Of course, there was an immediate intrigue with the project’s down-to-earth and urban collaboration with sex workers. Discussions varied from talking about the incredible bridge that this project provides to more gritty subjects about sex workers, prostitution, surveillance and security.
The discussion was on the table at the end of the day, whether with a yellow, wit or shy smile! The level of attention was so high that the Aphrodite Project was featured on national television at “Programa Hebe Camargo”, a Brazilian Oprah who’s been on television since the early 50s when Brazilian television started.
Both projects show that their trans-disciplinary approaches to mobile technologies will be more available. Proposing a contemporary approach in encouraging, innovative ways to explore new ideas and discussions.
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