Trail Path Guiders

What happens when you're walking on a trail at night and your flashlight doesn't work? Or what happens during winters when the nights are long and the days are short. 

Ecosystem Analysis:

The Sportsplex is a multi-sport activity center where people come to spend time playing and engaging themselves in daily exercise.

On talking to daily users, the sportsplex was commonly used by tennis players and runners. There exists a track, where the runners do their daily practice. But when the tracks are crowded, the runners choose to use the various trails surrounding the sportsplex. These trails have little or no information about them. The sportsplex also has poor connectivity and light systems. Thus, a need for change for such a heavily engaged place was required and what better than a technologically advanced solution which made people’s lives’ easier.

Problem Statement:

 Improving the guiding system of trails by introducing smart ambient display devices based on interactions with humans and the environment.

Prototype Proposal:

To design an IoT based prototype, we measure the following factors:

1.Environmental variables:

      Soil moisture

      Temperature 

      Humidity 

      Ambient Light

2. Human variables 

      Number of people using the path 

      Difficulty/Safety of path

We are going to design an algorithm that smartly considers these parameters and condenses these parameters into a guiding system. The trail light lights up in different colors, patterns(full, dotted, breathing, etc.) and intensities depending on the feedback from the above parameters.

Subsystems:

1. Counter System: 

     Using an IR detector to count the number of people passing by a certain route, and updating the trail path guiders accordingly.

     Using an Ultrasonic ranger to do the same.

2. Difficulty/Safety of Path: Pre-stored data.

3. Environmental Factors:

     Temperature/Humidity: Using a DHT 11 sensor.

     Soil Moisture Sensor

      Ambient Light: Using a TEMT6000 sensor.

4. Path lighting system: Neopixels

Storyboard:

Single System:

 Each trail path guider system consists of all sensors and trail lights extending to lengths of 100 yards each. Each individual device would be present at all intersections to give us an idea of each of the paths. 

Project Location:

All trails of the Schenley park sportsplex would have multiple individual systems connected back to back. 

Bill of Materials:

Single System:

User flow:

1. Scott is an active runner. He uses the trails to run in the evenings. To challenge himself, Scott would love to take on longer and harder trails. Thus, the lighting system indicates which trail to pursue to achieve maximum efficiency and happiness.

2. Anne is a middle-aged woman who wants a safe path to walk daily. The trail lights show her the least rugged and highly used path to show her that she will have a safe and energetic walk.

3. Micheal is an 11-year-old who uses the trail to cycle every day. He needs to know the moisture and temperature before embarking on a particular trail in order to protect himself from slipping and dirt marks.

4. Sarah has just moved into the city. She finds the trails to be an exciting part of her daily exercise but isn’t sure about how to use them properly. The routing system of the trail lights guide her to a proper destination and Sarah can now feel at home

Future Improvements:

1. Providing an application which gives the user what path he currently took with timings on speed and distance covered.

2. Data is available on a mobile app regarding the environmental conditions of the park beforehand.