The bracelet design isn’t for the sake of fashion. It not only ensures omnidirectional jamming, it eliminates blind spots (where transducers cancel each other out) through your wrist movement. As a result, it’s more effective than dedicated stationary jammers and can even scramble hidden mics.

You’re not about to use the prototype bracelet. It’s more than a little clunky, and the internals amount to a handful of boards and a battery. The scientists told the New York Times that investors have asked about commercializing the technology, though, and it’s estimated that you could build this anti-mic bracelet for roughly $20. This could be viable for anyone who fears eavesdropping from voice assistants or spies, especially for people who tend to move from room to room.

Whether or not you’d see this widely available is another matter. There are a number of ethical concerns. If you wore this in public, you could play havoc with phone calls and other mic-dependent devices. And while this could help keep business meetings secret, it could also help politicians avoid accountability. As useful as the bracelet could be, it could prompt legal issues if it isn’t used responsibly.

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The bracelet design isn’t for the sake of fashion. It not only ensures omnidirectional jamming, it eliminates blind spots (where transducers cancel each other out) through your wrist movement. As a result, it’s more effective than dedicated stationary jammers and can even scramble hidden mics.

You’re not about to use the prototype bracelet. It’s more than a little clunky, and the internals amount to a handful of boards and a battery. The scientists told the New York Times that investors have asked about commercializing the technology, though, and it’s estimated that you could build this anti-mic bracelet for roughly $20. This could be viable for anyone who fears eavesdropping from voice assistants or spies, especially for people who tend to move from room to room.

Whether or not you’d see this widely available is another matter. There are a number of ethical concerns. If you wore this in public, you could play havoc with phone calls and other mic-dependent devices. And while this could help keep business meetings secret, it could also help politicians avoid accountability. As useful as the bracelet could be, it could prompt legal issues if it isn’t used responsibly.

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.