Moving to the Airport? It’s easy with iBeacon technology
iBeacon technology has been promoted by Apple since the iOS 7. The business partners that have joined the service are few, and the practical applications have been implemented even less. But something is moving, and is happening in Gatwick, one of London’s major airports.
As TechCrunch points out, a 2000 network of 2000 beacon terminals, distributed in the two terminals, is being installed at the facility to help locate users in the airport and navigate them.
The system will soon be integrated with enhanced reality apps, so passengers will be guided through lines on the display to their gate, security checkpoints, or the luggage retreat platform reserved for their flight. iBeacon can also be exploited for promotional purposes by merchants, making it appear on the smartphone of passengers offered for use at terminal stores.
In short, if iBeacon technology does not seem to be taking off in recent years, something is moving now, and perhaps increased reality might be one of the technologies that best fit an internal localization tool that can help the user Moving in large structures where the GPS has little hope of running. Other uses could take place in malls and supermarkets, allowing us to arrive at the desired store or even on the shelf where the product we are looking for is present.
The same thing could be said for a library, a multi-storey car park, or a museum where, depending on the room we are in, the smart audio guide will be provided to us. From a technical point of view, iBeacon uses Bluetooth’s technology, and thanks to the distribution of different sensors in the environment. It can locate a terminal with a precision of about 3 meters, more than enough for the imagined purpose.
