Yi-Cheng Chung, Chi-Chun Chen

DESCRIPTION
Have you ever forgotten where you parked your car just a few hours before? Have you ever joined a tour group and arrived at an unfamiliar place where you were never able to fully enjoy the sights for fear of missing the next meet-up or losing your tour guide? Have you ever been worried whether you or others in your group would receive first aid in time if an accident were to occur on the trip and your cries for help were left unanswered? Suppose there was a device as compact and mobile as a watch that could guide you to your destination, tell you your location, and send a distress signal if needed; surely this would provide a solution to the travesty of wasted time – ShadowGuide!

ShadowGuide is a client-host system for carefree group guidance based on a GNSS-enabled wristwatch that communicates wirelessly with other clients and the host via Family Radio Service (FRS). ShadowGuide can show comparative distances and directional relationships between the user’s current destination and other recorded destinations. Within an approximate range of three kilometres, ShadowGuide can pair up with a handheld navigation device (Team-Commander) with world map data capacity and create a network group environment.

INNOVATION
Revolutionises positioning devices by facilitating compact, realtime, location-based, and locally networked interactive content. Telecommunication independence enables group members to communicate with each other freely by radio frequency. Static and dynamic point tracking familiarises client users with selfedited waypoints and host locations, as well as other members.

TARGET MARKET
This system was essentially designed to provide groups travelling abroad with a safe and easy-to-manage service. Most other GNSS products have yet to extend their application to that of an interactive host/client model suitable for the tourism industry, educational institutions, outdoor activity agencies, and individual use.

CUSTOMER BENEFIT

  • Destination awareness: A precise direction and distance indicator helps find the way back to favourite points and the host.
  • Schedule awareness: Arrive at any specified location on time.
  • Host and client connectivity: Add networking to any group activity.
  • Life saving and safety: Travel with confidence, knowing that ShadowGuide is ready to emit S.O.S signals anywhere in case of emergency.

Contact:
Yi-Cheng Chung & Chi-Chun Chen
Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI)
No. 31, Gongye 2.nd Rd., Annan District
70955 Tainan
Taiwan
phone: +886 922 772 674
e-mail: carbooky@itri.org.tw