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Team Members: Trevor Dunn, Troy Davis,ÌýThomas Gayagoy,ÌýZachary Linder,ÌýShaun Byrne
Sponsored by: Encore Electric Inc.
A recurring issue for many outdoor professionals is the absence of reliable cellular connection for their mobile devices. In today's market, there exists no cheap option to personally extended cell phone coverage into mountainous regions. Satellite phones, and personal
beacons require expensive subscriptions, and often lose coverage in steep terrain or inclementÌýweather. This lack of coverage results in two major problems. First, the absence of a cellular communication limits the abilities of emergency personnel who are searching for missing persons. Second, a lack of cell coverage limits semi-urgent communication which might result in an emergency situation. Loading a trail map, coordinating a trail head pick up, or locating lost individuals are all examples of semi-urgent communications. In a world of increasing dataÌýdemands, our product aims to provide extended data coverage to a demographic who frequently travel outside cellular network range. Through the use of Bounce our group hopes to provide text and data coverage from individual to cell network.
The Bounce system establishes a mesh network which allows individuals to transmit emergency communications by relaying signals across several nodes to an existing cellular network. In addition to emergency communications, users can send and receive data and text
messages to anyone in the world. Bounce also aims to add a level of comfort and security to a class of people that can be classified as adventurers. This group includes all people that enjoy backcountry skiing, hiking, fishing/hunting, and camping. These adventurers are able to stay in touch with family and friends by sending updates on their location and how their experience is going. Sending pictures, downloading websites, and text messaging is a comfort we have all come to enjoy. Bounce is geared towards bringing comfort, convenience, and safety to adventures around the world.
Backcountry mesh network systems currently exist on the market. GoTenna, a main competitor, uses multiple devices to establish an encrypted mobile ad hoc network in which users send messages to each other. The fault of this product is a lack of outside communication
to cellular networks. Bounce bridges this gap by providing an onboard cellular modem that handles data and SMS relay capabilities. GoTenna and similar products restrict the number of total users by requiring one network node per user. Bounce can host multiple users on a single network node by using a proprietary node management system.
Communication shouldn’t be hard. Bounce works out of the box, so gear up and grab some friends. Don’t worry, we’ll take care of all the technical nonsense so you can stay focused on your epic adventure.