Be an explorer with Cricket!

In the ordinary world, most of us are bound by time constraints relating to both work and leisure. As a result, one of the more outdoorsy human activities is getting hindered day by day, because of our business related restrictions. Yes, we are talking about traveling, and how this thorough affair has turned into modern day short accommodation limited to a single destination. But as the saying goes: We should make the best of our circumstances. And this is where the Cricket enters into the picture, as a righteous solution to our restrained traveling practices and leisure trips.

Cricket

Conceptualized by a design team of three interaction and two business designers, they have given us an account of how conventional traveling in the contemporary era pans out. We as travelers are generally focused on reaching our end destination, and as a result miss out on the various landmarks and interesting places located around our path. In such circumstances, the Cricket (not in anyway related to the more famous sport or insect) is envisaged as a portable device that will act as your travel companion. Coming with an apt tagline of 'be an explorer, not a tourist', the contraption would make the amateur traveler more aware of his environment.

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Cricket

Active Gear for Active Travel

Coming to its core functionality, the Cricket can be synchronized with a mobile device. This procedure will help in tracking the locational attribute of the user in relation to the recommended places around his traveling path. So, when the user will pass in close proximity to such designated areas, the device will give him a simple vibe (to notify). Now, if the user decides to find out the area, the device will furthermore help him by emanating a series of vibratory responses, until he reaches this destination.

Moreover, the functionality of the contraption can be improved upon by a simple mechanism. This entails the detaching of the Cricket from its magnetic dock. Now, the device will act as a magnetic system, which would point to the direction of your chosen landmark, along with incremental vibrations as you move closer to the point. This can prove to be an intuitive exercise in interaction, which would 'naturally' guide you to your location.

Finally, coming to its working mechanism, upon buying the device, you can synchronize its bearing (as mentioned earlier) with any mobile device like a smart phone. This synchronization part comprises of procedures like choosing the filters, setting the preferences and connecting to the smartphone. After this, you can properly use the device by inputting a slew of recommendations (from websites, travelogues and even friends) and then tagging them. These recommended destinations will be the ones to be tracked (along with the vibratory response) by the device, as you are on the move.

The designers have also thought of the social aspect of their product. Envisaged as a practical and convenient navigation device, its marketing is based on the essence of crowd sourcing, as is quite evident from their Kickstarter page. Moreover, one can also upload their recommended destinations through the Cricket app on Facebook.

Source: Behance