New York Times Features UChicago CS Wearable Jammer Project

Increasingly popular digital assistants and home smart devices have raised privacy concerns over their “always on” microphones and the potential for unintentional recordings. To protect people from these intrusions, UChicago CS research groups SAND Lab and the Human Computer Integration Lab teamed up to develop a wearable microphone jammer, emitting ultrasonic noise to disable nearby microphones. 

Calling it a “Bracelet of Silence,” New York Times technology reporter Kashmir Hill spotlighted the project, and privacy-protecting precursors such as the “jammer coat” and Reflectacles. The article discusses how an Echo speaker purchased by Neubauer Professor Ben Zhao and an objection by Neubauer Professor Heather Zheng, inspired the collaboration with Assistant Professor Pedro Lopes, PhD students Yuxin Chen, Huiying Li, Shan-Yuan Teng, and visiting students Zhijing Li and Steven Nagels.

The bracelet is like an anti-smartwatch, both in its cyberpunk aesthetic and in its purpose of defeating technology. A large, somewhat ungainly white cuff with spiky transducers, the bracelet has 24 speakers that emit ultrasonic signals when the wearer turns it on. The sound is imperceptible to most ears, with the possible exception of young people and dogs, but nearby microphones will detect the high-frequency sound instead of other noises.

“It’s so easy to record these days,” Mr. Lopes said. “This is a useful defense. When you have something private to say, you can activate it in real time. When they play back the recording, the sound is going to be gone.”

During a phone interview, Mr. Lopes turned on the bracelet, resulting in static-like white noise for the listener on the other end.

A paper on the project has been accepted for the 2020 CHI conference, and you can read more about the work at the SAND Lab website, or watch the video below.

Related News

More UChicago CS stories from this research area.
UChicago CS News

Sarah Sebo Awarded Prestigious CAREER Grant for Research on Robot Social Skills in Collaborative Learning

Jul 29, 2024
UChicago CS News

Enhancing Multitasking Efficiency: The Role of Muscle Stimulation in Reducing Mental Workload

Jul 10, 2024
UChicago CS News

Unveiling Attention Receipts: Tangible Reflections on Digital Consumption

May 15, 2024
UChicago CS News

University of Chicago Computer Science Researchers To Present Ten Papers at CHI 2024

May 06, 2024
UChicago CS News

FabRobotics: The Fusion of 3D Printing and Mobile Robots

Feb 27, 2024
Video

Nightshade: Data Poisoning to Fight Generative AI with Ben Zhao

Jan 23, 2024
UChicago CS News

High School Students In The Collegiate Scholars Program Get To Know Robots

Nov 14, 2023
UChicago CS News

Research Suggests That Privacy and Security Protection Fell To The Wayside During Remote Learning

A qualitative research study conducted by faculty and students at the University of Chicago and University of Maryland revealed key...
Oct 18, 2023
UChicago CS News

UChicago Computer Scientists Design Small Backpack That Mimics Big Sensations

Sep 11, 2023
UChicago CS News

UChicago Researchers Win Internet Defense Prize and Distinguished Paper Awards at USENIX Security

Sep 05, 2023
UChicago CS News

Computer Science Class Shows Students How To Successfully Create Circuit Boards Without Engineering Experience

May 17, 2023
UChicago CS News

Chicago Public Schools Student Chris Deng Pursues Internet Equity with University of Chicago Faculty

May 16, 2023
arrow-down-largearrow-left-largearrow-right-large-greyarrow-right-large-yellowarrow-right-largearrow-right-smallbutton-arrowclosedocumentfacebookfacet-arrow-down-whitefacet-arrow-downPage 1CheckedCheckedicon-apple-t5backgroundLayer 1icon-google-t5icon-office365-t5icon-outlook-t5backgroundLayer 1icon-outlookcom-t5backgroundLayer 1icon-yahoo-t5backgroundLayer 1internal-yellowinternalintranetlinkedinlinkoutpauseplaypresentationsearch-bluesearchshareslider-arrow-nextslider-arrow-prevtwittervideoyoutube