Compass Companion

Compass companion is a complete end-to-end navigation tool featuring dedicated hardware compass, voice guidance, safety analysis, and intelligent landmark discovery.

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Inspiration

Upon arriving to the beautiful Bay Area, one of my hungry friends jokingly said, "I wish there was a compass that always pointed to the nearest pizza place". Although the idea seemed silly, it ended up becoming the foundation for the Compass Companion.

What it does/Features

The Compass Companion is a smart outdoor navigation device that transforms the SenseCAP Indicator D1 into an intuitive compass that always points toward your saved destinations, showing real-time distance and direction while providing safety monitoring and audio feedback for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts.

-Live Compass Navigation: Shows a real-time compass that points directly toward your saved waypoints with precise bearing and distance

-Safety Check System: Monitors your movement and sends automatic alerts if you haven't moved for extended periods or deviate significantly from your route

-SideQuest Feature: A fun extension that allows users to go on side quests. They will follow the area to an unknown touristy area i.e. a landmark, monument, or popular stores.

How it was built

-Backend Infrastructure: Created Node.js/Express.js API server with MongoDB database for waypoint storage and user management.

-UI Simulator: Built web-based simulator to test interface interactions during development.

-Hardware Foundation: Utilized SenseCAP Indicator D1 with ESP32-S3 microcontroller, 480x480 circular display, and integrated.

Challenges encountered

-RGB Display Complexity: Had to implement custom RGB parallel interface drivers instead of simpler SPI communication.

-SPIRAM Configuration: Struggled with ESP32-S3 SPIRAM initialization and proper memory allocation for graphics buffers.

-In general most challenges were caused by the ESP32-S3 :(

Accomplishments I'm proud of

-Developed a backend with extensive testing.

-Created a web simulation to ensure feature criteria was met.

-Completed my first Hackathon!

What I learned

-Developed a better understanding of ESP32-S3, a technology I was very unfamiliar with.

-How to deploy a server online (Railway).

-How to test API's (Postman).

What's next for Compass Companion

Offline Map Integration: Cache topographic maps locally for navigation even without internet connectivity.

Social Waypoint Sharing: Community features for sharing favorite hiking spots, water sources, and scenic viewpoints.

Advanced SideQuest System: Gamification elements with achievement badges for exploring points of interest.

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