A military-looking cyberdeck with a built-in Geiger counter
— November 25th, 2020
Combining cosplay and actual science, as well as an origin tale that entails the two, this R.A.T.I.S. (Remote Assault and Tactical Intelligence System) cyberdeck by Paul Hoets is a true retrofuturistic work of art.
The build supposedly has its roots in the 1970s South African nuclear program, where it was used for radiation measurement and encrypted satellite data transfer. Given the luggable cyberdeck’s superb quality, one could almost believe it was military equipment.
Looking inside the rugged case reveals a Raspberry Pi 3 that provides computing power along with an Arduino Leonardo for a custom joystick input, indicating civilian origins. While there’s no satellite uplink (at least not without WiFi), it does feature a functional Geiger counter, which allows one to monitor local conditions for dangerous radiation levels.
