GPS,
Dandella handheld GPS devices simplify navigation
By Darren Murph 
posted Feb 16th 2007 8:25PM
posted Feb 16th 2007 8:25PM
[Via PopGadget]
GPS,
posted Feb 16th 2007 8:25PM
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im sorry, but that is f'n cool.
thats great, i want one
I'd buy one, but why does it have to be a dandelion?
if you are on the third floor and the child is below you, how does it work?
I think it's easy to lose this device and I suspect it's easy for embedded battery to run low without easy on-the-go replacement.
Far better improvements would be a clip or strap on the device so it can be worn on the leg, arm, bag, etc and pulled off when needed. Or a smaller version on a bracelet or watch with a flip-up 'antenna'. The bracelet could be made quite wide but flat to accommodate the electronics, if needed.
Syncing to your PC and/or mobile so you can tell the device to be near a certain area...does that mean you have to be in that area when you sync, or can you choose far-off areas in advance of going there? How much will the map information cost, not to mention the likely cost of the device itself.
Questions, questions. In the meantime, I think there are far simpler (and more reliable, and more cost-effective) ways to make sure your child isn't lost.
That's what i was thinking. This thing is cool and all, but shouldn't it in reality come with like a chain so the kid won't lose the damn thing? That looks too much like a typical object that can be lost in the background.
It wouldn't work at all. With GPS you need to be in line of site with one of the satellites in the sky. I can see this working, but in a large open area venue, like a theme park for example.
I see 20 of them in my backpack with different POIs on all of them, friends names written on masking tape. Just reach in the bag and decide where I want to go. No more thinking... ever.
Its great for getting lost in the woods.
That seems to happen a lot!!!!!
"spurned" by the need, or "spurred" by the need? This isn't a typo, as it changes the meaning of the sentence.
Wouldn't it make more sense if the devices pointed to each other?
Sort of reminds me of a devining rod [for water]. When I had my last well dug, the well drilling company used one.
This would be great at a zoo..."Let's see...all we need to do to get back to home base is walk through the gorilla enclosure and swim around the hippos. Let's go!"
And people say Isaac Asimov isn't cool anymore. This is so nicked from "the Caves Of Steel".
Nice idea. Very unique comparing to all the other mundane device and applications we got used to see.
For more locating devices, softwares and services check www.2locate1.com
Sam.
I can also see a use for this in military and police applications to tell where the "good guys" are in a hostile area. The ability to program them to locate each other is a real boost. Does this need the GPS to work or is it just locating the other unit via RF? Can a diver use it under water to locate his "buddy" if separated?
"Dandellas can be programmed to track each other and their buds response by pointing towards one another" - hows that?
How one of them knows position (not fixed/preloaded into it) of other?
GPS is needed because with RF, you can only tell when you're headed toward or away, based on whether the signal is getting stronger or weaker. With two antennae you can resolve it to the point that it can tell you the line to walk in, but not backwards or forwards -- though that'll become clear as the signal becomes stronger or weaker. To get the most accurate fix, you need at least three antennae, which is how GPS works, three sattelites pick up on your beacon and communicate with each other to triangulate exact coordinates. Note that putting the antennae too close together will fuzz up the resolution of your path/position, so that instead of a point, you get a circle (that's what it means when they say that GPS is only accurate to within 3 feet or whatever it is today).
Ixa: I suspect that each stick has a unique identifier, and once one stick has given another stick the permission to view its coordinates (probably done through the dock) it can query them from the GPS or whatever database holds it.