October 1, 2023

Gear up for Ghost Hunting

Staff Writer

Fall is the time of year we start to think about ghosts. There’s Halloween, of course, but that’s more about candy and fun costumes. Other cultures also have special days devoted to ghostly things, such as Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), that reunites families both living and dead. There is the Buddhist festival of Obon which celebrates deceased ancestors as well as the Hungry Ghost Festival, in Asia, to ward off angry ghosts.

So are ghosts real? Apparently, some people think so. Believing in ghosts can be fun like in Disney’s Haunted Mansion ride or terrifying like in creepy movies or even comforting when you think about people you have loved and lost being here with us. While many want to avoid ghosts, some people are out looking for them, like in the ghost-hunting shows on TV or maybe even someone you know. (One of my kids joined a ghost-hunting group in college for fun and to make friends.) I watch those shows and wonder how their technology works. Let’s find out.

Dots Projector

Also called laser grids, these devices use laser light to project dots across the walls and surfaces of a room. Anything that moves within the grid is tracked for its speed, direction, dimensions, and temperature.

Spirit Box

These devices take environmental changes and convert them into words, drawings, motion, and more. Radio frequencies are changed randomly. Responses from spirits display as text or a voice. Spirit boxes also can work with multiple voices and languages.

EMF Reader

An EMF reader looks at electromagnetic frequencies to see if there’s a spike that can be caused by supernatural events. The problem? Lots of things cause electromagnetic fields, including faulty wiring, microwave towers, sunspots, and more.

EVP Device

An Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP) device records audio that is not heard when left on during a ghost hunt but appears afterward when reviewing the collected data.

Temperature Sensor

There’s a belief that ghosts can lower the temperature of a room, from warm to cold or cold to frigid. Thermal cameras and thermometers are used to capture these temperature changes.

Night Vision

Video cameras that can capture images at night are used to detect and record visual anomalies. These cameras work with infrared light and full spectrums that humans can’t see visually.

Stuffed Animals

When people look for ghost children, they often bring along stuffed animals as a way to engage the young spirits. Whether you’re alive or dead, who can resist a cute stuffie? And they are absolutely more fun than the annoying ghost hunters always talking to you and playing with their equipment.

Learn more

Staff Writer Tim Slavin 661 posts

Tim is a long-time staff and freelance technical writer for Reuters, DoubleClick, MongoDB, Amelia, and other companies. He also has worked as a website producer. He enjoys teaching technology skills to normal non-technical people, kids included. He’s played with internet technology since the Well and Usenet.

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