It seems the consensus around here is that the ‘belt gizmo’ worn by the boys in gray is type of ‘black box’ for research and development. My question – is there any canonical evidence for this (either production notes or scripted items) or is it purely fan/hobbyist speculation as to what it is?
Nope!
It’s just crap to make the uniform look science-y.
SCIENCE!!!
If you read the novelization there’s a strong suggestion that the belt gizmo is actually the PKE meter as the thing Egon waves around isn’t called that and everyone supposedly has one.
Its like a defibrillator. When a Ghostbuster is knocked unconscious the Lifegard goes off, and you start twitching like crazy because of the electric shocks coming from your web belt.
DON’T WORRY EVERYONE! He is not having a seizure!
Or you could go about it all technical using the “Ionization” thing for defense? Breaking up the physical sight of atoms and electrons turning them into Ions, making the molecules un-equal, viewable from the electrical current allowing Ghostbusters to see ghosts easier then an average person?
WHO KNOWS!
In the novelization, various terms such as valence meter, aurascope, and plasmatometer are bandied about (as well as PKE Meter).
“Venkman picked up a plasmatometer about the size of an electric razor.”
- page 22
“Every so often he would stop, observe the pattern of blinking lights on the plasmatometer, then indicate a new direction.”
- page 28
“Spengler pocketed the plasmatometer and held up a black teardrop-shaped device with wings. He called it an aurascope. Venkman thought it looked like it had come from one of those sex places on Forty-second Street, but the lights on the thing’s upper surface immediateley began to blink. Spengler let out a thrilled squeal.”
- page 29
“Spengler consulted the aurascope on his belt.”
- page 99
I actually kind of like that name. Can the rest of you get behind officially renaming the “Belt Gizmo” as the “Aurascope”?
Even though the text is most likely refering to the PKE Meter, “aurascope” does have a nice ring to it. While “belt gizmo” is an endearing term, I doubt that Ray or Egon would ever refer to it as such.
But Gizmo is so much cuter.
It’s a piece of detail added for visual appearances. In sci-fi ship terms, it’s the costume equivalent of a greeble.
Personally, I think I’ll start referring to my own belt gizmo as a “belt greeble” from now on. >_>;
If you watch the film closely both Ray and Venkman do use a PKE meter. I’ll have to snap some screens to validate. But I swear I saw it.
In GB1, Egon is the only one to actually use the PKE Meter; Venkman does have it haphazardly sitting in his lab coat pocket during the commercial, though.