A decade ago, all but the most connected of travelers would leave phones and other devices at home, opting instead to plan visits to restaurants, museums and other tourist sites from a paperback book. Now, with mobile data and services like KeepGo enabling cheap roaming when you’re abroad, there’s more incentive to bring those gadgets along, powering exploration in real time with crowdsourced recommendations from a mobile app. One such application, however, will soon employ an unusual solution that’ll let you keep your handset tucked away, without wandering astray.
The Triposo Travel Belt communicates with a companion app through a wired connection — developers opted for a standard 3.5mm cable that plugs into a headphone jack, rather than Bluetooth, keeping things simple and maximizing compatibility. After you select a destination, the app will push directions through the headphone jack to four vibration motors, which activate based on your orientation and the direction of your destination. The belt will vibrate in the front, back, or either side to guide you to a pre-selected address or POI. There’s a working prototype out and about, but the creators need some cash to get the belt to production. You can help with a $30 $50 Indiegogo pledge, which should get you a Travel Belt in hand by February. There’s a demo video, too, posted after the break.
Update: Since going live with its Indiegogo page, the company has raised the price of the belt from $30 to $50.
Filed under: GPS, Wearables, Software
Source: Indiegogo
Unlike the others, this buckle was designed to blend in and look just like your typical buckle. But once its undone, you’ll have access to a 2.5-inch long blade that you can use to fight off attackers, crooks, and whoever else is making unwanted advances toward you.
