New navigation application gives you the liberty to explore

You may never get lost with turn-by-turn navigation apps in hand, but they do take away the opportunity to discover the tucked-away treasures of unfamiliar cities. Now, scientists have come up with a new app that gives you freedom to explore.

 

Simon Robinson at Swansea University, UK, and colleagues, have developed a new app that gives the user feedback on the general direction to take to reach a geographical target, but leaves the precise route open to choice.

 

The phone simply vibrates when it is pointing towards the target, reports New Scientist.

 

To encourage exploration, the system constantly analyses the available routes, using location information and map software, and dynamically adjusts the field within which vibrational feedback is given.

 

When there are several possible routes, the field is widened, and it shrinks when there are fewer, said Robinson.

 

The system was tested with 24 volunteers, who were asked to make their way to a destination 1.5km away. All reached the goal.

 

"We're not trying to replace turn-by-turn navigation," said Robinson.

 

"But sometimes it's nice not to know exactly where you are."

 

The application was presented at the Mobile Human Computer Interaction conference in Lisbon, Portugal.