Overview
Outdoor enthusiasts are masters of planning; the true enthusiasts are always prepared for their adventures. However, no amount of planning can help when a crucial piece of gear is lost during activity; it can ruin a good trip and can potentially be dangerous.
Peak is a device that pairs a reverse proximity sensor with tiny RFID chips sewn into Mountain Hardwear gear in order to alert adventurers if they drop or forget their gear while exploring.
Project Name: Peak
Client: Mountain Hardwear
Era: VCU Brandcenter, 2013
the challenge
We were asked to design and prototype a device specifically tailored to compliment the Mountain HardWear brand.
the idea
Some things tell a story and hold sentimental value. When you lose a piece of your gear, you lose a little piece of the memory that goes along with it. Not to mention, that item may be a necessary item needed to keep you safe while you're out adventuring. Losing something critical may even be life-threatening in extreme situations.
To solve this problem, we created Peak, which is a device using a reverse proximity sensor to alert the adventurer when they drop or forget one of their items.
Instead of triggering the Arduino when it got close, we reversed the code to make it signal when the tag moved outside a predetermined range. When the tag exited the range, the Arduino signaled LEDs to light up, a noise to sound and a vibration to buzz.