Hi,
Looking for direction location ideas.
Our national organization, Team River Runner teaches veterans with disabilities how to kayak. This project is related to working with blind/visually impaired. Traditionally, we've used an audible "On Me" guidance chant that allows them to home-in on our voice. However, some of our participants are also deaf and the audible method does not work - or work well with distance or in wind (not to mention wearing out the guide's voice). In a former life, I was a 2nd class FCC RF technician and am now a software engineer. Recently, I developed a tactile solution using radio guidance with XBee transceivers. 4-way directional commands (forward, back, left, right) are transmitted from a guide radio mounted on a kayak paddle using a small 4-button thumb control. RF direction packets are received by an XBee radio worn on the blind kayaker's life vest and commands are translated to four tactile vibration motors embedded within the vest. The system works well to 100 yards, is lightweight, waterproof and durable.
I'd like to kick it up a notch and use RF direction finding to allow a blind kayaker to home-in on a guide traveling ahead of him. I envision the guide boat carrying either an RF beacon or an RFID tag. For the blind kayaker, a direction-location receiver inside of a waterproof otter box fixed on boat deck or fixed inside the kayak. Using something like antenna switching with yagi's (or other method) the circuit would determine the strongest direction of the guide signal and use the current life vest radio interface to pulse appropriate vibration motors in the vest. The box would be fixed and oriented to the bow of the boat.The functional range should be at least 30 feet. Direction location is the primary goal but if I can also use time-of-flight or RSSI strength for relative distance to the guide and regulate the vibrator strength, all the better.
Concept document is attached. In this document BEACON MODE is what I am researching. DIRECT MODE is functional.
Can you recommend a combination of circuits/products that might work for this? I toyed with using ultrasonic but it seems range is very limited for inexpensive units. I also looked into infrared (IR) sensors but understand they do not work well in sunlight. Environment is outdoors and over fresh or salt water. Would like to avoid messing with processor or mobile phone/GPS. The simpler the circuit and setup, the better.
Much appreciated.
Jim
Looking for direction location ideas.
Our national organization, Team River Runner teaches veterans with disabilities how to kayak. This project is related to working with blind/visually impaired. Traditionally, we've used an audible "On Me" guidance chant that allows them to home-in on our voice. However, some of our participants are also deaf and the audible method does not work - or work well with distance or in wind (not to mention wearing out the guide's voice). In a former life, I was a 2nd class FCC RF technician and am now a software engineer. Recently, I developed a tactile solution using radio guidance with XBee transceivers. 4-way directional commands (forward, back, left, right) are transmitted from a guide radio mounted on a kayak paddle using a small 4-button thumb control. RF direction packets are received by an XBee radio worn on the blind kayaker's life vest and commands are translated to four tactile vibration motors embedded within the vest. The system works well to 100 yards, is lightweight, waterproof and durable.
I'd like to kick it up a notch and use RF direction finding to allow a blind kayaker to home-in on a guide traveling ahead of him. I envision the guide boat carrying either an RF beacon or an RFID tag. For the blind kayaker, a direction-location receiver inside of a waterproof otter box fixed on boat deck or fixed inside the kayak. Using something like antenna switching with yagi's (or other method) the circuit would determine the strongest direction of the guide signal and use the current life vest radio interface to pulse appropriate vibration motors in the vest. The box would be fixed and oriented to the bow of the boat.The functional range should be at least 30 feet. Direction location is the primary goal but if I can also use time-of-flight or RSSI strength for relative distance to the guide and regulate the vibrator strength, all the better.
Concept document is attached. In this document BEACON MODE is what I am researching. DIRECT MODE is functional.
Can you recommend a combination of circuits/products that might work for this? I toyed with using ultrasonic but it seems range is very limited for inexpensive units. I also looked into infrared (IR) sensors but understand they do not work well in sunlight. Environment is outdoors and over fresh or salt water. Would like to avoid messing with processor or mobile phone/GPS. The simpler the circuit and setup, the better.
Much appreciated.
Jim
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