Making a map

As my lecturer said that it might be nice to do a hand-drawn map of the campus, seeing as my quick sketches weren’t too bad. I am suffering from an inability to start now. I realise I want it perfect and that I won’t be happy with the result but the truth is I don’t have the time to luxuriate in that feeling of failure before I have even started.

I have four rectangles drawn up awaiting the artwork and have decided on a landscape drawing effect for the street view. I am looking at the satellite photos of the campuses to get some idea of the layout for the sketch. I am really at a loss where to start though and am feeling quite stressed about.

http://scarlettslandscaping.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/landscape-design.jpg

Interesting Device..

Have been thinking about using vibration in someway for the navigation interface. Either simple a simple vibration for left and right turns, perhaps through the phone or a worn device, like bracelets, earrings, shoe inserts or  lightweight  patches you can attach to somewhere on yourself. Or something with more complex vibration patterns to denote a range of different things like which way to turn, signalling when coming up to an intersection or your favourite café. I’m just musing here.

Then I decided to have a look on the Instructables site and under assistive tech found a project for a “Haptic Proximity Module (HPM) for Low Vision users“. It is a proximity sensor that uses vibration as feedback to let the user navigate their surroundings. I think it’s a pretty nifty idea, particularly for those with low to no vision. It ties in with my thought about the use of vibration feedback for navigational purposes. The HPM still looks like it is in the prototype phase but I think it has the potential of being very useful for those with sight impairments, especially once fully developed.