BodyCompass

On sale. Was $1.99 USD. Limited time. Body Compass enhances your sense of direction by physically alerting you (quick vibrate or sound) each time you are pointing North. Find out where you’re headed without ever having to look at your device. Many options available to customize settings. This app becomes truly addictive and a must have tool in your tool belt of apps.

This innovative app will help train your body’s sense of direction. Studies have shown that people who are aware of their direction at all times are better able to spatially orient themselves. As a result their sense of direction improves dramatically even after they’ve stopped using the device.

Direction is something that humans can’t detect innately. To understand direction the human brain needs to be trained. Birds and some other species have additional senses that allow them to sense direction, but unfortunately humans were only given five senses. With the right tools (or apps) human senses can be enhanced. We can take advantage of the brain’s plasticity and train it by feeding it input from external sources like touch and sound.

This innovative app was inspired by a 2007 Wired.com article by Sunny Baines: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/15.04/esp.html. In this article Sunny talks about various research efforts in the field of “Spatial Orientation Enhanced Systems” (SOES) and the invention of the “feelSpace belt”. Early research, funded by NASA, in this area showed that people were better able to use their innate senses to help orient themselves in flight with the use of tactile stimulation.

This same concept has now come to mobile devices via the Body Compass. This app will use built-in Compass functionality to help orient users through the use of tactile stimulation (sound or vibration). Users of such systems report better special orientation and improved ability to map out directions in their head.

It’s the perfect app for that hiker, biker, sailor, athlete, vacationer, hunter, or the visually impaired. The “directionally challenged” folks who need help with training their brain are also key beneficiaries of such an app. For most it’s just a cool app that can impress their friends.

Body Compass Benefits:

- This app will take advantage of the brain’s plasticity by training your brain to instinctively recognize which direction your headed.

- Improves your sense of direction and spatial orientation using tactile stimulation (sound or vibration).

- Find out which direction you’re headed without having to look at your device.

- Plug in head phones and guide yourself with audible signals

Features:

- Uses built-in compass with alerting mechanism triggered when pointing True North

- Set custom alerts to alert based on degree coordinates you want to be alerted on (e.g. Set to 180° for alerts when pointing South)
- Stop/Start alerts
- View satellite map and your current orientation on the map
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- Map rotates and tilts based on compass settings to better guide yourself.
- Setup directions from Point A to Point B
- Email your current location. Very useful when you want to find your way back to a particular spot.
- Alerts delayed 5 seconds to prevent users from being overwhelmed with alerts
- Works in airplane mode

Compatibility:
iOS 3.0+
iPhone 3Gs
iPhone 4
iPad + 3G