Each beacon is battery powered, and operates using a series of cloud-based Internet of Things (IoT) technology, GPS, and LED lights, and communicate over their own cellular network. Aesthetically, the beacons are in the shape of a dodecahedron made out of cedar and resin and measure approximately four inches in diameter (or about the size of a baseball).
Beacon communication map: The beacons receive GPS coordinates each minute and receive r,g,b, and intensity values each minute.
In 2020, as the City of Kelowna’s inaugural Artist in Residence, I built and activated a collection of 30 beacons. Please see When it is Necessary to Stand Still for more information and images.
Beacon with cedar shells with light on.
Beacon with cedar shell with light off.
Beacon shells made of cedar harvested locally in British Columbia.
Pentagons cut using a CNC machine, that will be used to build dodecahedron-shaped shells to hold the beacon hardware.
For earlier related work, see Thread.