RoadTest: Engineers needed to review the element13 Foil Headwave Aluminium aTtenuator DevKit
Author: kmikemoo
Creation date:
Evaluation Type: Passives
Did you receive all parts the manufacturer stated would be included in the package?: True
What other parts do you consider comparable to this product?: Aldis Aluminum Foil, Temu Foil
What were the biggest problems encountered?: Validating effectiveness of each design, finding comprable research projects
Detailed Review:
OBJECTIVE: My objective in this RoadTest was the design and testing of various Foil aTtenuator options using the provided DevKit. Does the material and/or geometry of the headgear impact the effectiveness of the headgear? If so, which designs are most effective in protecting the wearer from unwanted cranial scans or monitoring?
TEST PLAN: My testing plan is to build different variations of cranial shielding protective headgear and test their effectiveness. Loose and tight fitting cranial protectors will be tested. The test method will be to read sections of The Art of Electronics. If cranial scans are occuring, the test subject will have additional cranial activity and brain load - leading to sleep. The time from initiating reading and sleep will determine the effectiveness of the protective headgear: the longer the reading time, the more effective the headgear.
MATERIALS: I did research other like materials - given that the attenuating media of choice is aluminum - of the foil variety. I ordered some attenuating foil from Temu. While it arrived quickly, I was not surprised by what I received. I belive that their source of supply is suspect and I wasn't quite sure of the units of measure that they used to describe the product. What is a "cantameter" anyway? Still, the price was cheap so I gave it a shot. Temu did not disappoint - although I will not be able to use their product.
I compared the Aldis foil to the Element13 foil and decided to only use the Element13 foil as it was heavier and had a micro reflecting pattern that I belived to be more efficient at deflecting intrusive brain scans than the fully reflective surface of the Aldis brand. The Element13 foil is the picture on the left.
Designs:
The first design was the traditional "tin foil hat" design. It is modeled after the classic newspaper Captain's Hat and has been the traditional choice in cranial scanning protection for generations. It's stylish appearance belies it's subtle effectiveness. The angular design promotes reflection of any potential brain scans with extra attenuating material reinforcing the lateral plane. The one weakness of the design is the disproportionate protection of the side with extra material versus its opposite side – but with the right attenuating material, this argument is moot.
The second design sought to minimize the space around the head so no extraneous emissions or scans could enter that space. A more form fitting headgear was designed and built to minimize potential entry points. A much less anglular design was selected in contrast to the angular design of the traditional Captain's Hat protection scheme. I call this the Beach Hat design.
The third design attempted to capitalize on both the close fit and the angular design elements of the two previous designs. The approximation of flat sides and right angles may prove to be efficient attenuation characteristics in the testing phase. This style is also sometimes referred to as the Carpenter's Hat design.
The fourth design opted to take a close cranial contour and angular deflection to a maximum level - for testing purposes. It also captures a classical design that has persisted for centuries. With a lineage as such, there has to be value in the design. This is the traditional Wizard Cap design. It is also my wife's favorite design. There is also no side view because it looks the same from every direction.
In creating these designs, one flaw was noted. There is incomplete coverage of the lower cranial regions. Foil curtains could be added to any of the above designs to overcome this shortcoming BUT the fifth design attempted to mitigate this deficiency. The fifth design is a traditional attenuating helmet. It should be noted that once constructed, a major design flaw was revealed. It does not fit with my glasses on - so while it may be effective protection and attenuate brain scanning, it is limited in its use due to my poor eyesight. It also envoked an uncontrollable urge to shop for shrubberies.
TESTING: Up to this point, this RoadTest had gone very well. Unfortunately, testing didn't turn out quite as expected. Perhaps a different test subject would have had more success. All attempts at the testing protocol ended with inconclusive results due to a lack of accurate data. No accurate time stamps could be asertained despite repeated attempts.
CONCLUSION: I want to thank element13 for the opportunity to attempt this RoadTest. I do not feel that I was successful in completing my stated objectives BUT I do feel that I shared a few idea so others may pick up where I left off and continue the research. We all understand the value of protecting our thoughts from unwanted intrusion or monitoring and the only effective way to achieve that is through shielding. I will continue my research with the hope that one day, I will design the optimal Foil Headwave aTtenuator.
