We talk a lot about connected objects and IoT (Internet of Things) right now. These new intelligent objects are emerging, promising to change your daily life: the fridge that fills itself, the plant that speaks to you… A less well-known but equally revolutionary application of these wireless technologies is for communicating between devices, smartphones and/or tablets. By allowing other devices to be controlled at a short distance, this opens the way to new ways of teaching, playing or experiencing an event.
There’s no need for a robot to revolutionize your everyday life. Just look in your pocket! Your smartphone is probably equipped with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology, one of the wireless technologies applied to connected objects. It is primarily intended for objects with low bitrate needs and where autonomy is crucial, such as your smartphone or beacon tags.
Thanks to BLE, your device can permanently transmit signals that can be picked up by another device. With the new PandaSuite componant, you can create actions that begin as soon as these signals are recognized.
Ok, but why? Today is still a bit early to consider all of tomorrow’s uses, but here are the possibilities that we see as the most interesting.
The “remote control”
The AAA (Adaptation of African Agriculture) booth at Cop 22
Following the success of virtual reality, the trend in events is offering participants a unique and personalized experience.
Imagine giant screen walls where participants broadcast content. Thanks to BLE, you can develop “remote control” terminals that control displayed content according to the participants’ desires, using simple tablets embedded in the booth.
Multi-device games
Flight Control, one of the first games to rely on Bluetooth
What if you take players beyond their screens? With communication between devices, you can easily implement multi-player and cross-support features (tablet, smartphone…) to create stunning effects.
Note: this is great for playing on the train, as you just need two devices, without any internet connection!
Communicating with street furniture
JCDecaux internet website
More and more urban furniture incorporates Bluetooth technology to send contextual information to nearby mobile devices. Some are also equipped with interactive screens.
With a little imagination, it’s easy to design smartphone apps that work with bus stop screens to deliver an unusual street marketing experience.
Interact with an audience (participants, students)
Looking for new ways to interact with an audience? Live voting, quizzes, surveys, games… These interactive elements let you hold your audience’s attention before, during and after your event.
In a pedagogical context, many innovations enrich the teacher-learner relationship. Similar to a virtual classroom or an interactive screen, a teacher can quiz students anytime, collecting the answers and immediately identifying any difficulties.
