Smart Navigation: These wearables lead the way

Whether lost in the urban jungle or somewhere in the middle of nowhere – with smart gadgets, it is much easier to find your way than it was in the times of printed maps. The fact that navigation is constantly making progress becomes evident when looking at the following wearables.

Navigation Wearables developed by the Berlin-based Design Research Lab

Navigation Hat with M2M Software

The ‘Navigation Hat’ was developed by Dr. phil. Katharina Bredies and Nicole Gütl as part of the Design Research Lab of the Berlin University of the Arts. The felt hat, while looking quite usual, has a sophisticated technology behind it. The hat has a lining on the inside that hosts the electronic parts that communicate with the software. A compass on top of the hat and a micro controller are used to exchange data with the app to ensure accurate navigation. Eight vibrating motors around the head indicate a direction. While on the go, the user is protected from the elements and can enjoy the walk in the city or countryside, without interacting with the phone.

Electronic Tracefinder: Sweater with embedded navigation feature

The ‘Electronic Tracefinder’ is another project developed by the two design researchers that is also based on the M2M Software. It is a tactile navigation device implemented in the shape of a sweater. The hood carries a small compass module and eight vibration motors around the neck and chest to determine the steering direction of the wearer. In the front of the sweater, there is a tricolor LED that can be used to give simple feedback to the wearer if he or she takes the wrong direction. Two pockets at the front serve as switches. The sweater can also be opened up on the seams under the arms and on the sides of the body and be used as a picnic blanket, once the destination has been reached.

Wegweisende Fahrradjacke Wearide

Another Design Research Lab project is by Friederike Fröbel and is part of her Master’s degree at Beuth University of Applied Sciences Berlin. With the name “Wearide”, she developed in collaboration with Bredies a prototype of a bicycle jacket, which sends signals to the sleeves to point the way. The destination has to be entered through an app before starting the journey.

“The LEDs integrated into the sleeves give you visual feedback on when the user has to turn into what direction to get to the entered destination. When turning, the user sticks outs his arm into the direction he’s headed. That’s how other road users can notice the change of direction coming up. The LEDs light up yellow, similar to a car indicator.” Fröbel explains.

Vibrating navigations wrist wearables

Wayband by Wear.Works

Wear.Works from the USA has developed two variations of the Wayband that are currently in the beta testing. The first version is the Wayband that helps the blind and visually impaired find their way. The second variation is the Wayband Sport. The motivation behind this idea was that the founders Keith Kirkland, Kevin Yoo and Yangyang Wang wanted visually impaired people to become more independent. The proof for successful implementation was given by Simon Wheatcroft, a blind runner, who was able to run the New York Marathon in 2017 using the Wayband. Wayband is a tactile navigation device implemented in the form of a bracelet. Users pair the Wayband with their smartphone app via Bluetooth and enter the destination. The app then sends signals to the bracelet. The band buzzes in a sort of Morse code and thus indicates direction.