SPDRBT
Specialized Public Data Relay - Broadcast Terminal
A multi-year project that started as an Instagram filter, evolved into a network of 3D-printed spider magnets placed around NYC, and grew into a full open-source intelligence terminal for the city. Each magnet carries an NFC chip and QR code - scan it and you unlock a WebAR mask experience. Tap it and you're plugged into live NYC data. 761 scans across 121 cities in 11+ countries and counting.
spdrbt.comWhere It Started
Which Spidey Are You?
The AR filter that started it all. A Spiderman mask randomizer built in SparkAR for Instagram - tap to cycle through different spider suits on your face. Simple, fun, and massively shareable. This single filter sparked the entire SPDRBT project - from 3D-printed magnets to NFC chips to a full open-source broadcast terminal.
The User Journey
We Ask a Lot
Most people will never find a SPDR-BT. That's by design. These aren't advertisements on a billboard - they're small 3D-printed spiders stuck to random surfaces across the city. No signs pointing to them. No instructions. No context. The experience rewards those who are attentive enough to notice something out of place in a city of 8 million distractions.
And then we ask them to do a lot. Unprompted. With zero guidance. Think about what the user journey actually looks like - and how many steps it takes before anything happens.
400+ Organic Discoveries
Despite all of that friction, over 400 people have completed this entire journey organically. No prompting. No marketing. No one telling them what to do. They saw a spider, picked it up, flipped it over, scanned a mysterious QR code, and chose to activate their camera.
Note: The total scan count is 761, but I always cut my numbers by ~30% to account for SPDRBTs I may have handed to someone directly rather than placed in the wild. The real organic discovery number is conservatively 400+.
Notice
In a city moving at full speed, the user spots something - a small, unusual 3D object stuck to a subway pole, a lamp post, a bodega fridge. Most people walk past. This person stops.
Reach
It's not a flat sticker. It's a 3D-printed object with depth and texture. Curiosity wins - they reach out and touch it. They feel the magnet holding it to the surface.
Remove
They pull it off. It's small, magnetic, and has weight to it. On the front: a spider logo. They flip it over.
Read
On the back: a QR code and a line of text -"Scan to uncover your Spider Identity." A mysterious prompt from a mysterious object. No branding, no explanation.
Scan
They open their camera and scan an unknown QR code found on a random object in the street. That alone is a massive trust leap - and they take it.
Choose
The experience doesn't launch straight into the camera. Privacy matters. A start screen appears: "SPDR-BT FOUND" - with a clear choice to activate the mask or decline. The user is always in control.
Allow
They choose to activate. The browser requests camera access. They grant it. Face tracking initializes. A 3D spider mask renders on their face in real-time.
Become
The roulette spins. Masks cycle. It lands - they've discovered their Spider Identity. They can capture a photo, record a video, try the web-shooting gesture. The experience is theirs.
8 Unprompted Steps. 400+ Completions.
No instructions. No tutorial. No incentive. Just a small object in the wild and the curiosity of a stranger. Every single scan represents someone who completed an 8-step journey they were never asked to take. That's not a conversion funnel - that's human nature. People are curious. People want to play. People want to be Spider-Man.
The Broadcast Terminal
Open-Source OSINT for New York City
↑ Live embed - this is real data, right now. Scroll, click, explore.
Not a Dashboard - an Intelligence System
SPDRBT.com is a full open-source intelligence terminal pulling live, real data from across New York City. MTA subway and bus positions updating in real-time. 945 DOT traffic cameras streaming live video. Aircraft transponder data for every plane in NYC airspace. Maritime vessel tracking across all waterways. Live weather with severe alerts. Air quality indices. Borough-by-borough breakdowns. Community intel. All aggregated into one CRT-styled terminal interface, all open source, all free.
No accounts. No paywalls. No tracking. The philosophy is simple: information wants to be free. Tap an NFC spider on the subway and you're immediately plugged into the city's nervous system.
Real Use Cases, Real People
Pull up the Times Square live cams to see what the crowd looks like and figure out what to wear before heading out. Check MTA train arrival times when the station tracker is broken (again). Track your bus in real-time so you know whether to walk or wait. Look up and wonder what plane that is - SPDRBT tells you the airline, altitude, and destination. Check if the East River ferry is running. See air quality before going for a run.
The use cases are different for every person - a commuter checking the L train, a photographer scouting camera angles, a plane spotter identifying aircraft, a jogger checking AQI, someone just curious about what's happening in their city right now. One system, infinite applications.
MTA Subway Tracker
Real-time positions and service status for every subway line in the NYC system. Color-coded by line - the 1/2/3 in red, 4/5/6 in green, A/C/E in blue, B/D/F/M in orange, N/Q/R/W in yellow, the G, L, J/Z, shuttles, and the Staten Island Railway. Live arrival times at every station, service alerts, planned work, and delays.
When the countdown clock at your station is broken - and it will be - SPDRBT has the data. Pull it up on your phone and know exactly when the next train is coming. No MTA app needed, no account, just open the terminal.
All Lines Tracked
Live positions • Arrival times • Service alerts • Planned work
MTA Bus Tracking
GPS-tracked bus positions across the entire NYC bus network - every borough, every route. See where your bus is right now, how many stops away, and estimated arrival time. Covers local, limited, express, and Select Bus Service routes.
The bus system is massive and often overlooked. SPDRBT surfaces the data that lets you make the call - is the B46 two stops away or did it just leave? Should you walk to the next stop or wait? Real-time data, real decisions.
Coverage
- → All five boroughs - Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Staten Island
- → Local, limited, express, and SBS routes
- → GPS positions updated in real-time
- → Estimated arrival times per stop
945 Live Traffic Cameras
Every DOT traffic camera in New York City, streaming live. 945 feeds across all five boroughs - from the Times Square crossroads to the BQE, the FDR Drive to the Cross Bronx Expressway. Click any camera and see what's happening at that intersection right now.
Check Times Square to see how crowded it is. Scope out the Holland Tunnel before your commute. See if that accident on the BQE has cleared. Check what people are wearing before heading out. The cameras are there - SPDRBT just makes them accessible in one place.
The traffic overview module aggregates conditions across the city - identifying congestion hotspots, construction zones, and incidents. Combined with the camera feeds, you get both the macro view (which routes are jammed) and the micro view (what does this specific intersection look like right now).
Highways • Bridges • Tunnels • Intersections • Major corridors
Air Traffic - Flight Radar
Live aircraft transponder data for every plane in NYC airspace. See the airline, flight number, aircraft type, altitude, speed, heading, origin airport, and destination - for any plane you can see overhead. Covers traffic around JFK, LaGuardia, Newark, and Teterboro.
Look up from anywhere in the city, see a plane, and SPDRBT tells you exactly what it is. A JetBlue A321 descending into JFK from LAX at 12,000 feet. A United 737 climbing out of Newark heading to Chicago. It's the kind of data that turns a passing glance into a story.
Data Per Aircraft
- → Airline & flight number
- → Aircraft type (A321, 737, etc.)
- → Altitude, speed, heading
- → Origin & destination airports
- → Live position on map
JFK • LGA • EWR • TEB coverage
Maritime Transponder
Vessel tracking across NYC waterways - the East River, Hudson River, Upper Bay, and harbor. Ferries, cargo ships, tugboats, barges, and everything else with an AIS transponder. See vessel names, types, speed, heading, and current position on a live map.
NYC is a port city and the waterways are always active. SPDRBT makes that visible - check if the NYC Ferry is on schedule, watch a container ship navigate the Kill Van Kull, or just see how much traffic the harbor handles on an average Tuesday. It's a side of the city most people never think about.
Weather & Air Quality
Current conditions, forecasts, and severe weather alerts for the NYC metro area. Temperature, humidity, wind, precipitation - the basics done right, displayed in the terminal's signature CRT aesthetic.
Air Quality Index monitoring with color-coded severity levels - Good, Fair, Moderate, Poor, Very Poor. Check the AQI before a run in Prospect Park or before opening the windows. Especially useful during wildfire smoke events that have become increasingly common.
Borough Data & Community Web
Individual data panels for each of NYC's five boroughs - Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island. Borough-specific information, local context, and neighborhood-level data that makes the terminal useful whether you're in Astoria or the South Bronx.
The Community Web module aggregates neighborhood-level intel - local events, community board information, and civic data. Combined with the city-wide analytics panel (population stats, tourist numbers, NYPD/FDNY staffing, 700+ languages spoken), it paints a comprehensive picture of the city.
SPDR-BT Node Map
An interactive Leaflet.js map showing the locations of SPDR-BT nodes placed across NYC. Custom pin markers, cluster grouping for dense areas, and popups with details for each node. A live visualization of the physical network - every spider magnet that's been placed mapped in geographic space.
The map bridges the physical and digital - each pin represents a real, tangible object placed somewhere in the city. Click a pin and see when it was placed, how many times it's been scanned, and where those scans came from. The network grows with every commute.
Terminal Design Language
CRT Aesthetic
Full scanline overlay across every module. The entire interface is designed to feel like a retro-futuristic surveillance terminal - glowing text, scan lines, data-stream animations.
Typography
Orbitron for headings, Share Tech Mono for data. Every element feels like it belongs in a command center. Typewriter animations on load, flicker effects on state changes.
Color System
Primary red (#db231e) against deep black backgrounds. Status colors for subway lines, AQI levels, and community sentiment (positive/negative/neutral vibe tracking).
An Entire City's Data in Your Pocket
What started as a fun side project - magnets with QR codes - evolved into one of the most comprehensive open-source NYC data terminals available. Live transit across every subway line and bus route. 945 live cameras. Real-time flight and maritime tracking. Weather and air quality. Borough-by-borough breakdowns. Community intel. All from a single URL.
All because someone found a spider on a subway pole and tapped it with their phone.
The Mask Experience
Anyone Can Wear The Mask
Anyone Can Be Spider-Man.
That's the whole point. Not some people. Not the right people. Anyone. No matter who you are, what you look like, where you come from, or what language you speak. The mask doesn't check credentials. It doesn't ask for a login. It doesn't care. You found the spider, you scanned the code, you wore the mask. You're Spider-Man. End of story.
That's why it's a randomizer - you don't pick your identity, it picks you. Miles Morales. Gwen Stacy. Pavitr Prabhakar. Spider-Punk. Spider-Man 2099. The Spider-Verse is infinite because anyone can be great. Anyone can be a hero. The entire project is built on that idea.
“Anyone can wear the mask. You could wear the mask. If you didn't know that before, I hope you do now.”
Browser-Based AR
Scan the QR code on any SPDR-BT magnet and the AR experience launches directly in your browser - no app download, no account, no friction. The camera activates, face tracking initializes via MindAR, and a 3D spider mask renders on your face in real-time using Three.js. Tap the screen and a roulette spins through all 9 masks before landing on your Spider Identity.
The experience includes a beauty filter overlay, haptic feedback on interactions, a photo capture button (tap) and video recorder (long press, up to 10 seconds), and a share button that uses the Web Share API. Files save as spdrbt_[id].png or .mp4. Available in English and Spanish with automatic language detection.
Hand Tracking Easter Egg
MediaPipe hand detection runs in parallel with the face tracking. Extend your index and pinky fingers while folding your middle and ring fingers - the classic Spider-Man web-shooting gesture - and particle effects fire from your hand. A hidden feature that rewards anyone who instinctively tries it.
AR Tech Stack
- → Three.js - 3D rendering engine for mask models
- → MindAR Face - Real-time face detection & tracking
- → MediaPipe Hands - Gesture recognition
- → MediaRecorder API - Video capture at 30fps
- → Web Share API - Native sharing on mobile
Building the Masks - Tried Everything
Gen 1: Screenshots to 3D (2020)
I knew I wanted Spider-Man masks but had no idea how to make them. The PS4 Spider-Man game had just dropped, and it had a Photo Mode. So I used it - took screenshots of every mask variant from the game, loaded them into Blender, created a simple half-face mesh, and projection-mapped the screenshot textures onto the model. That was the first set of masks.
Rough? Absolutely. But they worked. The SparkAR filter could track a face and render these screenshot-textured masks in real-time on Instagram. For a v1 built from game screenshots and basic Blender work, it hit harder than it should have.
Gen 2: The Search for Better (2024+)
When it was time to upgrade, I tried literally everything to get higher-quality 3D masks. Photo Mode screenshots at higher resolution from PS5. Captured video of masks rotating in-game, then processed the recordings through photogrammetry pipelines to generate meshes. Tested AI 3D generation tools to create masks from reference images. And finally, traditional modeling in Blender - manual geometry with proper topology, UV mapping, and PBR materials.
Settled on traditional modeling for the final production masks - nothing beat the control and quality of hand-built geometry. But every method taught something. The photogrammetry attempts informed the mesh topology. The AI experiments showed what was possible for rapid prototyping. The screenshot method proved the concept from day one. Literally tried anything and everything.
Photogrammetry from Screen Recording
Captured video of orbiting the camera around masks in Spider-Man 2's Photo Mode, then ran the recordings through photogrammetry pipelines. The results were surprisingly detailed — but the baked-in game lighting and textures meant the models couldn't be relit for AR. Opted for traditional 3D modeling for the final masks.
Methods Attempted
9 Spider-Verse Masks
Each mask is a unique 3D .glb model rendered in real-time on the user's face. The roulette randomizer cycles through all variants before landing on one - your Spider Identity. Additional models handle depth occlusion so the mask sits naturally behind hair and glasses.
Three Platforms, Zero Dependencies
SparkAR
Shut DownInstagram filter - the original mask randomizer. Simple face tracking, limited to the IG camera. Millions of impressions before Meta killed the platform.
8th Wall
Shut DownWebAR rebuild - upgraded 3D models, added half-mask views, photo/video capture. Better tracking, browser-native experience. Then Niantic announced shutdown.
Self-Hosted
ActiveFully self-hosted from scratch. Three.js + MindAR + MediaPipe. Same features, better performance, zero dependency on any platform. No one can shut this down.
The Physical Network
3D Printed • Magnetic • NFC • Tracked
The Object
Each SPDR-BT is a small, custom 3D-printed spider logo with an embedded neodymium magnet - strong enough to stick to any metal surface. Subway poles, lamp posts, fire escapes, bodega fridges. On the back: a dynamic QR sticker and, on the latest generation, an NFC chip.
The prints have evolved through multiple generations - from rough PLA prototypes to refined multi-color prints with stronger magnets and better weather resistance. Each version is a small iteration on the last. The latest versions are designed to survive NYC weather and still scan cleanly after months outdoors.
Dynamic QR + NFC
Each magnet carries a unique dynamic QR code - when scanned, it captures the GPS location, timestamp, and device info. Every SPDR-BT that gets found sends a ping back, building the global scan map one discovery at a time. 761 data points across 121 cities so far.
The NFC integration was the latest upgrade - tap-to-open is faster than scanning a QR, and it links directly to the Broadcast Terminal. The dual-interface design means one object serves two purposes: QR leads to the mask experience, NFC leads to the data terminal. One spider, two worlds.
Where They've Been Found
Most SPDRBTs are placed during daily commutes around NYC - on subway poles, storefronts, park benches. But they travel. Someone finds one in Queens, takes it home, and their friend in Tokyo scans it. The data shows pings from Shibuya, Tel Aviv, Osaka, London, and cities across 11+ countries.
Evolution - 6 Years
The Filter
Started with a Spiderman mask randomizer built in SparkAR - an Instagram filter that cycled through different spider suits on the user's face. Simple, fun, and the seed of something bigger.
The Print
Got a 3D printer. Started printing small spider logos with embedded magnets and QR stickers on the back reading "Scan to uncover your Spider Identity." The project became physical - something you could find in the wild.
The Migration
SparkAR shut down. Ported the mask experience to 8th Wall - upgraded the 3D models, added half-mask views and photo/video capture. The WebAR experience got significantly better with each rebuild.
Self-Hosted
8th Wall announced shutdown. Built a fully self-hosted WebAR solution from scratch - same features, better performance, zero dependency on any platform. Upgraded the prints with NFC chips and dynamic QR codes.
The Network
Built SPDRBT.com as an open source NYC data hub - live transit, traffic, weather, and community intel. The NFC chips now link directly to this open source Broadcast Terminal, turning the physical magnets into nodes in a public information network.
“Anyone can wear the mask.”
SPDRBTs are placed randomly during daily commutes. No announcement, no campaign - just small pieces left in the wild for whoever comes across them next. A free experience that asks nothing from the person who finds it. Scan the QR and discover your Spider Identity. Tap the NFC and access live city intelligence. The data says they keep traveling: from a subway pole in Queens to someone's desk in Shibuya. That part was never planned.
