Electromagnetic waves encompass a huge range of natural and technological phenomena from communications technology (radio, cellular phones, wifi etc) to xrays as well as the visible light spectrum. Most of these waves are imperceptible to humans and often not well understood making them a frequent subject of misinformation. Power transmission and electronics exhibit low frequency electromagnetic fields (EMF) on the order of 60Hz whereas radiofrequency EMF (RF EMF) for communications operate between about 100KHz (long-wave radio) to 300GHz (satellite and radar transmissions). Other RF EMF frequencies of note are FM radio (87-108 MHz), Cell towers (700-1900 MHz), Bluetooth (2402-2480 MHz), WiFi (2.4-5 GHz) and cell phones (0.7-2.7GHz for 2nd-4th gen and up to 80GHz for 5th gen or "5g"). Exposure to certain EMF is undeniably dangerous such as Xrays and gamma rays but there is ongoing study about the effects of RF EMF on health and well-being- but it is clear there is no clear cut boundary between "safe" or "unsafe" EMF as the power density, amplitude, saturation and frequency are all important factors. I also suspect that due to the abundance of unfounded pseudo-scientific beliefs concerning EMF, real potential hazards of RF EMF in our environment may be ignored by tech companies and the general public.
In EMF mode the OUIFi reacts most strongly to EMF from power-sources (outlets, lighting, high power electronics) as well as certain wireless devices such as RFID readers. This is likely due to the higher amplitude (higher power) and lower frequencies of these waves being easier to pick up by the relatively crude antenna and the signal is strong enough to be differentiated from the background noise compared to the lower power communication signals. It was particularly sensitive to older fluorescent light bulbs, analog electronics and dust collection - the latter possibly due to the creation of static. In WiFi mode the signal was a little hard to differentiate possibly due to the high signal coverage in the areas I was testing in.
It's my hope that this project prompts further inquiry about EMF both to dispel harmful rumors and to bring critical inspection on the unseen effects of building connected futures.
More resources on RF EMF:
Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields Exposure Assessment in Indoor Environments: A Review
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