Haptic Route Guidance for Wearable Safety
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Smart watches and similar devices face challenges in presenting useful information to users during activities like jogging or cycling due to limited screen size, and existing user interfaces are not optimized for safety and efficiency in outdoor activities, failing to provide tailored routes based on user preferences and environmental factors.
Innovation Solution
A device system that uses a thematic map database to determine and suggest routes based on user settings, past activity sessions, and environmental data, allowing users to approve and follow suggested routes, which can be adjusted in real-time based on location changes, and includes features for safety considerations like avoiding high-traffic or crime areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a smart watch presents detailed route information and activity data, then the user receives sufficient information for safe and efficient activities, but the limited screen size makes it difficult to display useful information in a readable format
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional screen display to three-dimensional haptic feedback through tactile patterns. The haptic interface encoder generates distinct tactile patterns that convey route information, activity status, and safety alerts without requiring visual display, effectively adding a sensory dimension for information delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional visual/mechanical display system with a haptic feedback system using an haptic interface encoder. This mechanical-to-haptic substitution allows information to be transmitted through tactile sensations rather than visual display, overcoming the screen size limitation.
2Reliability
If the user interface presents comprehensive safety information and route details, then user safety is improved, but the user becomes overloaded with unnecessary information that complicates the interface
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different haptic patterns to different zones or aspects of the interface, providing localized tactile feedback for specific information types. Different tactile patterns encode different meanings (route confirmation, safety warnings, activity status), allowing comprehensive information delivery without overwhelming the user with a single complex display.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses variations in haptic characteristics (intensity, frequency, pattern duration) analogous to color changes in visual interfaces. Different haptic patterns serve as distinct 'sensory colors' that convey different information states, enabling the user to distinguish between multiple types of feedback without visual complexity.
3Productivity
If the device provides real-time route adjustments and environmental data processing, then route optimization and safety are improved, but the device complexity and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-calculates multiple route options and potential haptic feedback patterns before they are needed. The system prepares route alternatives and corresponding tactile encodings in advance, allowing real-time route adjustments without complex on-the-fly processing during critical moments.
Solution Approach 2:
The haptic interface encoder autonomously translates route data and environmental information into appropriate tactile patterns without requiring complex intermediary processing. The system self-manages the conversion of multiple data inputs into intuitive haptic feedback, reducing the burden on central processing resources.
Data Source
AI summary
According to an example aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processing core, at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processing core, cause the apparatus at least to determine a route based at least partly on a thematic map database and a current location of the apparatus, present the determined route as a suggested route to a first user, and responsive to the first user approving the suggested route, initiate an activity session based on the suggested route.