ISDEF 2019: TrekAce Wristband Navigation
TrekAce is an Israeli company that is offering a navigation solution to soldiers in the field that does not require a GPS signal connection or satellite feed to work. The company is currently one of many others involved in a joint U.S.-Israeli start-up competition that is looking for better technologies for both governments.
How the system works is through a digital interface where users can input tracks and maps along with specific directions. Through TrekAce’s systems these directions are programed into a ‘feeling’ language wherein a user can ‘feel’ through a wristband and know the directions. The wristband uses a number of soft prongs that are situated in a starlike-pattern above their forearm in the wristband. These prongs vibrate according to the orientation of the directions needed. As an example, if a patrol needs to make a sharp left, then the left-most prongs will vibrate, indicating that a left turn needs to be made.
Although having a large number of these directions might seem overwhelming, TrekAce claims that it only takes a matter of hours to become proficient enough in the system so that a user could navigate with it in the field on their own.
This is one of the companies video infomercials-
While handling the device it immediately became apparent that this application could have use in free fall parachute navigation where a user needs to be completely cognizant of obstacles both in the air and on the ground, while having to make important navigation decisions at the same time.
