The Ovilus – 21st Century Snake Oil
With intrepid conviction, the host of the show sternly asked his question of the air between them, in this dark and cramped loft bedroom.
“What are you?” we heard him ask, as though his questions bore more authority than the next man.
But in a surprisingly clear robotic voice, the handheld machine stated it’s response with chilling candour.
“Demon.”
The desired response was achieved, audiences around the world sat in stunned silence at this mystical…nay, supernatural exposition of demonic interaction, but was there any truth to this technological séance?
The device in question is the aptly named Ovilus (also known as the Puck); I say aptly only because I can’t think of a more ambiguous and clichéd name to give it. The Ovilus is one of many devices designed and constructed over the last five decades or so, in a long line of technology offered to provide some contextual evidence of ghosts and hauntings.
A product of Digital Dousing LLC, the Puck surely is a technological wonder. In short, it’s a machine to replace all other ghost hunting machines. Many believe the Ovilus to be the evolution of paranormal investigation, a tool to take the place of EMF readers, digital recording devices, dowsing rods and thermometers all at once. It provides all-in-one convenience with a user friendly interface that can’t be beaten.
Ok, enough of that. The Ovilus is a fraud.
It is nothing more than a collection of simple environmental detectors wired to a processer that mathematically produces preset responses. In fact, it works very much like a handheld slot machine; if you pull the proverbial handle enough times, eventually you’ll hit the jackpot.
Now I realise that I’m going to suffer the scorn of a great many people for having said that, but in this field of academically ridiculed research and investigation, we as a community cannot afford to bring further incredibility to our pursuit by trusting the comical voices of a magic box.
It seems though, in spite of my warning, and others like it, many would-be ghost hunters are ignoring the facts in favour of fantastic and completely unproven results. In the above recount of the pinnacle scene in Paranormal State’s Episode “Hells Gate”, Ryan Buell used the Ovilus to generate a fantastic result, supposedly identifying the entity in question as a demon. They went even further in their “investigation” (placed in quotes because I’m not entirely certain what they do can be called investigating), and came up with a name for this “demon”, supposedly solidifying their evidence as a positive finding.
All this is intended to lead us down a very particular garden path I’m afraid. Even without a degree in electronic engineering, one can see how ridiculous this is.
Here’s the problem in the most simple terms I can lay out. In order to design a working electronic measuring device, we must first know what it is we’re measuring. In the case of EMF meters and thermometers, we know, based on many years of advanced science that these environmental elements exist and are measurable. When an EMF meter is engaged it is seeking and measuring the magnetic fields that are generated by various items in our environment. The fields are detected at various strengths according to their proximity to the device and a corresponding level indicator shows the user a reading.
Seems simple enough right? The same is true for thermometers and even for dowsing rods, wherein the “signal”, a form of magnetic field caused by the interaction between water and the rock it flows over/within, causes the rods to be pulled in the direction of the flow. This is easily translated into an electronic device.
However…as easily as the above instruments are explained, the Ovilus, which combines the operation of all the above devices, is not greater than the sum of its parts, and I’ll gladly tell you why.
In order for the Ovilus to provide a plausible result, in the form of a metered number or a phonetic word, the maker of the device would have to posses an advanced understanding of the meaning behind the interactions of the various environmental inputs (i.e. EMF signals), as those meanings relate to ghosts or spirits (or demons as the case is above).
The problem is…no one on earth has such an understanding. The individual measurement devices contained in the Ovilus are based on real science, their principals are understood, but the same is not true for this frankenstien-esque incarnation of their science.
This is a clear example of circular logic getting the better of an entire community of learned people. We cannot have a machine that defines an unknown phenomenon, when a definition of the phenomenon is required to build the machine in the first place.
I am saddened to see and hear that many reputable researchers have fallen for this trick of marketing, the Ovilus is intended to be nothing more than a toy, and since its adoption by the likes of PRS and Paranormal State, those people who wish to emulate Buell and the like, for whatever reason, will accept the result without critical examination of the principals behind the technology.
For any of those who disagree with my assessment, as I’m sure there will be many, I not only invite you to comment here, but I also invite you to have a look at the Digital Dowsing, Ovilus online user manual located at the link found below, and while reading, take special note of the abundance of indemnity disclaimers posted throughout the document.
Note: Since publication of this piece, Digital Dousing has terminated production of the Ovilus I, please see the related article: Caveat Emptor…Ghost Radar Is Fake (Link below)
If a device such as the Ovilus were a genuine and reliable tool for ghost hunters, would the manufacturer feel compelled to protect themselves from lawsuit to such a degree?
In closing, I will point out that Bill Chappel of Digital Dowsing has flatly denied that the Ovilus is capable of speaking for the dead in any way whatsoever. If the designer of the device is reluctant to go on record as endorsing it’s capabilities, what confidence should we have in any results we get from the device?
The Ovilus I by Digital Dowsing LLC
© 2009 – 2010, Martin J. Clemens. All rights reserved.
Tags: Digital Dousing, emf, evp, ghost hunting, ghost technology, ghost voices, ovilus 1, ovilus I, paranormal state, ryan buell, the Puck
In a short exchange on Twitter, Ryan Buell has claimed that he agrees with my assessment of the Ovilus, in-so-far as agreeing that it is not “legit”. He also claims to have made comments of that nature elsewhere on more than one occassion, though I’m not aware of any source to cite.
My response to him was quite simply that, regardless of what comments he may, or may not have made regarding the Ovilus’ lack of legitimacy, his comments are overshadowed by the use of the device on his show, and because of this, the majority of the paranormal subculture believe that he and PRS are endorsing the unit.
He then went on to explain that he and his PRS crew are at the mercy of the executive production team at A&E, and that there is a continual battle going on behind the scenes. He indicated quite plainly that he and his team are at odds with the producers and are nearing the point of ending the show due to these differences.
Whether this is the case or not, I presented him with a follow up question which he did not answer. My concern is that, if PRS can be pressured to use unproven and illegitimate technology on the show, are they not prone to accepting executive pressure when it comes to falsified evidence or a suspect presentation of evidence?
While I take exception to certain aspects of Paranormal State and the way PRS goes about their work, I do thank Ryan for reading and responding to this article.
Hasn’t anyone read the text on the front of the ovilus 1 where it reads,
‘for entertainmnet purposes only’? that alone tells me it is not a genuine device capable of spirit communication. The maker of the Ovilus 1 most likely saw frank’s ghost box available on the internet and decided he could make money as well with a similar device. I don’t know if the theory behind frank’s ghost box is legitimate or not as far as spirit communication but at least frank’s ghost box does not work from a list of preset codes which enable various sounds that could be mistaken for actual spirit voices when, in fact, those sounds are already built into the Ovilus 1 by way of an integrated processer. Perhaps the makers of the Ovilus 1 had heard about the purported story of Thomas Edison’s attempts to create a spirit communication device. I am a person who, in fact, literally saw ghosts one time many years ago on one particular day (not night) and I did not see one ghost but a half dozen. And they were not full body apparitions but only transparent faces. They scared the hell out of me and in my own bedroom. This haunting went on for 10 minutes until I finally left the room. I could not believe what I saw. I was not drinking liquor, nor was I on any drugs. I had no history of ever having hallucinations. Yet I saw them. Why and how, I don’t know. They were screaming at me with curses and threats but I could not hear them verbally. There was no sound although it appeared they were trying their damnest to make me hear them. I saw their mouths moving, opening and closing as they raged at me. I saw their eyes, their noses, their cheekbones, their chins, foreheads. They were transparent and seemed to be manifesting out of thin air. They seemed to come out of the shadows and dim light and hovered just below my bedroom ceiling. They were so animated that they semed to be in a frenzied state of anxiety, as though in a cloud of chaotic sub-atomic particles. I was able to see my bedroom wall behind them as I peered at their faces and realized I could see the wall and the ceiling right through their faces, like looking at an invisible man who becomes partially visible as though draped in a vapour of mist. I was also able to understand the thoughts of one of the apparitions as he realzied I was looking right at him and the others. I felt as though I could hear his thoughts mentally as though he told the other ghosts (or demons) that I was able to see them and this they did not expect. For some unexplained reason, this group of devils decided they were going to try to haunt the hell out of me by sending me waves of negative energy and negative thoughts in a hellish stream of mind to mind telepathy. I often wonder if suicides, murders, rapes, drug abuse, drunk driving and other crimes are not the result of subliminal psychological sabotage on the part of these entities, some of whom may very well consider the human race as their enemies in the flesh. Maybe they can make us depressed, agitated, despondant, angry, self-destructive. And we never know the underlying reason why many of us have these negative emotions from time to time. Could it be these instigators from another dimension? I think so, at least, in part. to whatever degree. Like good people and bad people in the world of the living, I am certain that in the world of the spirit or the dead, there must be good and bad spirits.
Mr.Clemens you are certainly right on target with your assessment of Ovilus type devices.I am a Christian and we are frequently accused of superstitions regarding theses matters when in actuality many of us are pretty scientifically hard-nosed on the subject.The human brain is capable,under certain,not always understood circumstances,of great ability to hear sounds and see things that are beyond human sense organs.I prefer the more scientific approach of groups like Ghost Hunters. We are in a realm of great subtlety regarding ghosts,demons,possession etc.Easy to get very confused.A strong mind and scientific method as well as strong objective methods are the only way to avoid getting lost.
Science is about hard data, the problem with Paranormal research in general is equipment used. K2 meter: flash light, Radios, cell phones, random microwaves which are cities are flooded with set off EMF gauges and K2 meters. the only way to be able to use these devices with a clear reading of a spiritual entity is to take a clear reading of a spiritual entity. Paranormal researchers for years have assumed because there is an abundance of electromagnetic energy that a sum of this energy can be attributed to spiritual energy and now that is accepted by the community. Don’t get me wrong energy dose not just disappear it take on new form, that’s a fact and a reason why i am intrigued with paranormal research. Another device is the FLIR thermal cam, now this is a cool device, but again unreliable in the sense that you would have to now what you are looking for. I think the use of these tools are great, but i think every team needs to do extensive controlled testing to get an idea of how these devices will work in certain enforcements, and document each and every bug that these systems have before using them, keep heavy notes. As for the Ovilus…Well like the author said its a toy and has no scientific value. Paranormal TV shows are their for entertainment first, research second. If they had a real Paranormal research team to real studies, it would probably be very boring
Actually the Ovilus PX is back in production and as a scientist the device does pique my interest. We have used devices ESD and ESAmp that convert EMF and RF waves into the audible tone that the fields truly sound like. These devices are tech equipment that are generally used to Id any contaminating signals when setting up routers, wireless networks and so forth. These are extremely effective at ‘EVP’ since you can literally hear the fields.
Now the Ovilus (a glorified Ouija board) has my attention because it just might work in a similar fashion. It would never be a replacement for any real tool but ‘communication-wise’ it would be invaluable if it works. I’m extremely hesitant to invest in such a device just because of its nature but it has me wondering ….what if?
I won’t argue the authenticity of this gadget and I won’t pretend to be an expert– because I’m definitely not. However, I would be interested to know your thoughts on how this device managed to communicate a three-part name– which, incidentally, was the name of a fellow investigator’s great grandfather– during an investigation that my group participated in. This is the only impressive experience I’ve had with an ovilus, though I’ve worked with them several times.