SpectaMaps | Devpost

Inspiration

Current navigation forces users to look at their phones, leading to distractions, collisions, and unsafe driving. Our solution overlays step-by-step arrows in Snap Spectacles using AR, keeping navigation in sight and users off their screens.

What it does

The Snap Spectacles capture the start and end coordinates and send them to our server, which processes the route with the Google Maps API and normalizes the path into step-by-step points. These points are then displayed as arrows in real life through Snap AR. As the user walks/drives, reaching a checkpoint causes it to disappear, keeping the view uncluttered and the path always clear ahead.

How we built it

Developed custom coordinate normalization logic to properly orient the Snap Spectacles. We wrote scripts in Lens Studio to dynamically update the AR interface whenever local position changes were detected. Built a Node server to handle requests from Snap Spectacles and process the data with the Google Maps API to return the relevant polyline coordinates. Used built-in Snap Spectacles positional APIs to maintain consistent updates to the user's relative location.

Challenges we ran into

Learning how to integrate with Lens Studio and Snap Spectacles was challenging since we had little experience with AR and hardware development. Time management was also something we were challenged by since Hack the North provided so many interesting workshops and events to attend.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud of getting a working prototype of our project, given the significant time constraints, as well as our group's lack of prior experience; not only with AR technology, but hardware in general. Furthermore, it was rewarding to build a piece of software that would help make navigation easier and more accessible for people from all around the world. Our team is passionate about working on projects that have real-world impact, which made building SpectaMaps all the more exciting.

What we learned

We learned the importance of maintaining focus and managing time in order to deliver under tight deadlines. Collaborating with like-minded teammates showed us the value of diverse perspectives in problem-solving. We also gained hands-on experience integrating AR with Snap Spectacles and navigating its technical capabilities and limitations.

What's next for SpectacleMap

Add object recognition features for vehicle purposes. Identifying stop signs, traffic lights, speed limits, etc. could help improve road safety. Obstacle detection is another feature we would want to implement. For instance, if a specific sidewalk is blocked off due to construction, or gated by a locked fence, the software should be able to recalculate the path and re-render the guide arrows. Improve latency and range issues to deal with larger routes and higher-speed traffic. Potential solutions could be edge caching and pre-fetching segments.