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---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Rony ronbillypop@yahoo.co.uk To: "GNU/Linux Users Group, Mumbai, India" linuxers@mm.glug-bom.org Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2006 22:35:52 +0530 Subject: [ILUG-BOM] Directional Radio Signposts. Hello All,

While we are on to discussing new ideas, this is a concept that I thought of during my daily traveling. I am mostly on field and travel a lot in public transport. I have observed that visually impaired persons usually have a problem with directions and it is more complex when it comes to making choices in different directions. Now that we have the honor of having an extremely talented person like Mr. Mane on our list, he too can give feedback on this.

The normal method is to use beeping sounds near signals and crossings. However, our road networks are complex and require more complex sign aids. The problem is compounded when making a choice at a junction of many roads, not knowing which road leads to what place.

This can be resolved by having radio beepers at all road points and each beeper having its own data repeatedly broadcast. To differentiate between each post and its data, the user has a handheld unidirectional radio receiver that has a mini parabolic dish antenna. The user first turns the receiver around and gets beeps for every radio post detected. As the device is pointed, its sound is the loudest when pointing straight to it. Then with the flick of a switch, he hears the data through a earphone. It tells him where he is located and where the direction he points to, is leading to with actual road names too. Its like a guide explaining different directions. So while the radio post is omni directional, the receiver is uni directional.

Shops and restaurants too can use these radio posts to guide people to their shops and advertise their merchandise. I say, this system can be used even by sighted people who need help in directions, as big junctions have long distances across and looking across signboards can be difficult with buses and other traffic blocking the view. Tourists will find this a very handy live city guide.

The main hurdle in this concept is to develop a proper radio system that has directional accuracy without being too expensive for the comman man.

Regards,

Rony.

Ideally this should come with the cell phone. But what with Bluetooth being subjective to virus attacks, an addon can be designed which does this task.

Also, with RF enabled microcontrollers available cheaply, one can do these developments as standalone devices.

Another application is giving them out at places like Prince of Wales Musuem instead of the casette players. Each location identified with numbers can emit a low power rf. The player with the tourist shall know which id is this and hence what information to play out.

The RF/processing cost is not major hurdle if the amout of processing required is small and the distances are within a few hundred metres, the data rates not exceeding a few kbps. (64kbps is supported by a few chips over short distances)

regards, Akshay