# Advice for Building Wearable Location Tracker
**URL:** https://discourse.processing.org/t/advice-for-building-wearable-location-tracker/9388
**Category:** Electronics (Arduino, etc.)
**Created:** [March 17, 2019, 6:42pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/advice-for-building-wearable-location-tracker/9388 "2019-03-17T18:42:02Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@zoppa](https://discourse.processing.org/u/zoppa)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2019, 6:42pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/advice-for-building-wearable-location-tracker/9388/1 "2019-03-17T18:42:02Z")
Hi,
I need location data (x,y,z) of the audience for my art project. I used to use Kinect v.1 but for my next project, I need location data of several people that are walking in different rooms. I also need to track their location in a bigger space than a room. That’s why I want to build a wearable custom tracker that I can attach it to their clothes (preferable their heads like a crown maybe :)). I am also using Processing and Max/MSP for that Project. It looks like I can use Flora and Flora Wearable Ultimate GPS Module. I can also use Arduino cause I already have it, and I don’t mind using a bulkier tracker. Have any of you got any experience using a tracker like that? I am open to any suggestions.
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### Author:  [@kfrajer](https://discourse.processing.org/u/kfrajer)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2019, 1:01am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/advice-for-building-wearable-location-tracker/9388/2 "2019-03-18T01:01:47Z")
> [@zoppa](#):
>
> I also need to track their location in a bigger space than a room.
Would you be doing the tracking indoors? I do not have experience with indoor tracking but I am going to take a guess and say that it is worse than if you do outdoors gps tracking. What accuracy are you aiming for? I suggest you use the ketai library and collect some sample data yourself (or download any of the apps available in the app store that can do this). Choose 5 fixed separated physical locations in your space and collect data traveling to those 5 different points in order and also in disorder (not following the same arrival pattern) to understand gps performance in your use case.
You could also look at the [beacon](https://developers.google.com/beacons/) concept which uses bluetooth.
Kf
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### Author:  [@zoppa](https://discourse.processing.org/u/zoppa)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2019, 3:33pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/advice-for-building-wearable-location-tracker/9388/3 "2019-03-18T15:33:30Z")
> [@kfrajer](#):
>
> doing the tracking indoors
Hi kfrajer,
I am going to be doing indoors tracking but I’ll check your suggestions. I need almost precise data. I am kind of trying to get rid of Kinect’s jumpy output.
I am a Mac and iPhone user by the way.
Thank you very much.
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### Author:  [@cansik](https://discourse.processing.org/u/cansik)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2019, 3:43pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/advice-for-building-wearable-location-tracker/9388/4 "2019-03-18T15:43:05Z")
To track people from room to room, beacons as @kfrajer mentioned are the best method. Otherwise it is hard to associate the tracked people. But for positioning tracking, beacons are maybe too less accurate. Multi-room-positioning systems are usually created out of multiple systems (sensor-fusion).
If accuracy matters, you won’t get around IR tracking systems (or at least something visual). But writing it on your own is rather complex, so I would suggest using an existing one. There are several good [motion capturing systems](https://optitrack.com/products/flex-3/), but they usually cost. A cheaper solution is the [HTC Vive tracking system](https://www.vive.com/eu/vive-tracker/), which does a very good job in 3d positioning.
If you really want to implement it yourself, I’ve done a minimal proof of concept to just track infrared light points (but only 1 camera) in 2d space:
> **[bildspur/dynamic-shape-projection](https://github.com/bildspur/dynamic-shape-projection)**
>
> DySP is a shape tracking and projection system which uses IR light for tracking. - bildspur/dynamic-shape-projection
Maybe it also makes sense for you to smooth the position tracking of your kinect, by using moving averages and easing.
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### Author:  [@zoppa](https://discourse.processing.org/u/zoppa)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2019, 4:14pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/advice-for-building-wearable-location-tracker/9388/5 "2019-03-18T16:14:40Z")
Thank you cansik. I also think HTC Vice might be a good solution for me.
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### Author:  [@jeremydouglass](https://discourse.processing.org/u/jeremydouglass)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2019, 4:50am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/advice-for-building-wearable-location-tracker/9388/6 "2019-03-22T04:50:11Z")
What size simultaneous audience are you talking about tracking? 2-3, 10, 20…? Also, how important is your z axis?
If HTC Vive tracking is ~120€/person, that doesn’t scale for a larger crowd the way that a bunch of cheap IR-LED active marker headbands do (and I’m not sure what the connected tracker limit might be) – although the marker headbands approach gets you back towards the “implementing your own tracking system” problem.
Possibly relevant:
> **[HTC\_Vive\_Tracker(2018)\_Developer+Guidelines\_v1.0.pdf](https://dl.vive.com/Tracker/Guideline/HTC_Vive_Tracker(2018)_Developer+Guidelines_v1.0.pdf)**
>
> 2.80 MB
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### Author:  [@zoppa](https://discourse.processing.org/u/zoppa)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2019, 3:10pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/advice-for-building-wearable-location-tracker/9388/7 "2019-03-22T15:10:51Z")
Hi Jeremy,
I want to start with two audience and then see what happens. The number of audience depends on the limitations of the tracking method that I will be using. I wish I can track let’s say 10 people in a whole gallery/building. For the current version (my old project), I am mapping the z-axis of Kinect to my 2d simulation’s y-axis because I only use head location and my project doesn’t mind if they jump or sit down.
Actually, I want to start working on a new project with at least two audience and possibly without Kinect. Because I am using Synapse for extracting data and I know it is not going be out there soon. Kinect-via-synapse already not working with Max 8 and I need to transition to a more current sensor.