Haptic feedback armband for pedestrian navigation.

Project Length: 30 weeks
Focus Areas: Soft Goods, PCB Design, Arduino, Mechatronics, Vacuum Forming, Silicone Molding, 3D Printing, Android Development, UI/UX Design, Haptic Feedback, GPS & Navigation Sensors, Wireless Communication Protocol
Materials: Neoprene, Poly-cotton Fabric, Foam, ABS, Silicone, HIPS, Assorted Electronics

Sponsored by Microsoft, this project was the culmination of a year's worth of work by 4 Stanford students including myself, and 4 international students at the University of Science and Technology (USTC) in Hefei, China.  Our prompt:

"Design and prototype a creative wearable artifact that 
augments and extends the capabilities of human and surroundings."

After much exploration of the wearable design space, a compelling need was found in the area of haptic navigation.  By giving turn-by-turn or compass-based directions via vibrational cues in a wearable device, pedestrian navigation is made safer, less distracting, and more enjoyable. No longer does the user have to rely on visual or audio instructions that may put them at risk for injury or make them a target as a confused traveler.

In fall quarter, the haptic method of navigation was tested with a manually-controlled prototype and the results were highly successful. Despite some confusion as to the meaning of certain haptic cues among the more technically-naive test subjects, most subjects preferred the wearable to more traditional navigation methods, such as continually checking a paper or digital map.

By June 2014, the team completed ROMU, a wearable navigation armband and companion app. This fully functional prototype is ideal for pedestrian navigation in urban areas, providing the user with turn-by-turn instructions via unique patterns of vibration.  The product was showcased at Stanford's EXPE event and met with positive feedback, due to features including seamless phone pairing, intuitive directional cues, and tap-to-pause functionality.