Improvised Empathetic Device (I.E.D.)

Matthew Kenyon and Doug Easterly (S.W.A.M.P. Projects), Improvised Empathetic Device (I.E.D.), custom software and hardware, 2005–present. (© Matt Kenyon. Photo © Jeremiah Ariaz. Inset photo © Matt Kenyon.)

The purpose of the I.E.D. (Improvised Empathetic Device) project is to give real presence to the death and violence occurring in the Middle East. I.E.D. is a wearable computing device that is connected wirelessly to a server running custom data-mining software. Hardware consists of a custom circuit board modeled after a map of Iraq and powered by a nickel cadmium battery, a modified alphanumeric text pager and a solenoid linear actuator. A custom software application continuously monitors the Web for reports and personal details of slain U.S. soldiers in real time. When new deaths are detected the data is extracted and sent wirelessly to the I.E.D. armband. The LCD readout displays each soldier's name, rank and the cause and location of death and then triggers an electric solenoid to drive a needle into the wearer's arm, drawing blood and immediate attention to the reality that someone has just died in a war that is raging far away. A non-wearable companion piece to I.E.D., Notepad, deals with Iraqi civilian casualties.