India Navi: An Old School, New Tech Outdoor Navigation System

For the hikers and explorers, the India Navi reimagines navigation without distractions, bringing the feel of a paper map to the digital age. The project began with a few simple parameters: the ability to function without an Internet connection, a minimalistic user interface, and a screen that is readable in bright sunshine. Phones lose their usefulness for pathfinding as you step out of signal range; if you do have a signal to pull up GPS, you’ve also brought with you the clutter of daily life. The India Navi, a seven-color ePaper display combined with OpenStreetMap data, makes it simple — just a map with your position on it.

The first prototype was built with a seven-color ACEP display on an SPI interface board with an STM32, SD card, GNSS module, and capacitive buttons. Once this began to reveal its design flaws, and, along with a firmware prototype, the resources needed for the final version, a second hardware prototype came together. The second iteration pivots away from the STM32, moving instead to ESP32, which allows for integrating some connectivity. As seen in the photo above, the seven-color display enables a faithful rendering of easy-to-parse map data.

The India Navi prototype two runs with an ESP32 controller, the ePaper screen connecting directly to the board with no SPI interface board, and a different GNSS module. Even with the first kinks worked out, it is still a system in progress. The major issue emerged in the display; it begins working as intended, but over time the display degenerates from paperwhite to bright pink, and resetting the system does nothing to improve the tint.

For those interested in the development process, the progress is being streamed on Twitch, though do note that the stream language is German. Regardless, you can stay tuned to their Hackaday page if you have an interest in the tech or just new ease and simplicity in hiking.