ESET Oscilloscope

Unveiling viruses via oscilloscope

Make waves, detect a virus!
Oscilloscopes have been around since the 19th century, evolving into invaluable diagnostic tools across fields from medicine to the automotive industry. But how do we bring their functionality closer to people? At the Starmus conference in Bratislava, in collaboration with Eset, we created an interactive oscilloscope-based installation. Visitors can adjust a specially designed controller to find the right frequencies that uncover different computer viruses.

Successfully tuning into a virus’ frequency triggers the display of a 3D animated icon amidst the oscilloscope waves, a visual metaphor for detecting viruses in vast data. To take the information beyond the screen, we converted the animated icons into soundtracks. These sounds are generated directly from the oscilloscope waves that render the images, giving each icon a unique audio signature that the oscilloscope can convert back into visuals. When a virus is detected, the image turns red and displays its name. There are 10 types of viruses to discover. Which one will you find?