Fashion: Hat: Communication
Shopper's baseball cap with 2 way radio, quadrature direction finding antennae and head-up projection display.   (+5, -2)  [vote for, against]
Wear a hat and put gadgets in it.

When shopping in a large store, it is easy to lose sight of the person you came in with. Maybe you got distracted by the chocolate, the display of Leatherman multitools, the Harley Davidson poster, or maybe you're just staring, glassy-eyed and drooling, at the glass case full of hunting knives that you're not allowd to buy because they won't let you have sharp objects any more.

No problem; make your way to the fasihon section, or maybe the electronics section, and purchase a pair of BorgCo Shopping Hats.

Superficially, this resembles a fairly normal baseball cap. But it has a whole lot of gadgetry packed into it.

On top is a discreet photovoltaic panel to keep the lithium-ion battery topped up. This powers a PMR446 2-way transciever, linked to a quadrature phase-sensetive direction finding array. The detector feeds into a processor which controls the slim acrylic head-up display screen fixed to the underside of the brim, along the outer edge.

The radios "ping" every few seconds, with a specific code. This allows the "paired" hat to constantly update the direction of the signal. This is projected onto the HUD; the wearer sees either a dot, or a left or right arrow. If they turn in the direction of the arrow until the dot appears, they are then facong directly towards the "other" hat and (presumably) the person they are seeking.

They can also speak via the radio link, as in , "Hey, come over to me, there's some stuff over here on sale that you might like to see".

Also useful for stalkers, although it may not be easy to persuade ones victim to wear the other hat.
-- 8th of 7, Aug 17 2008

Not Just For Shopping http://www.besporti...ty-lynk-helmet.html
Not exactly a baseball cap, and missing a video display, but on the right track. [jurist, Aug 18 2008]

It wouldn't work in Ikea would it?

Could the microphone drop down out of the peak of the cap like on Captain Scarlet?
-- mecotterill, Aug 18 2008


// the microphone drop down out of the peak of the cap //

That would be essential.....
-- 8th of 7, Aug 18 2008


Don't forget the flashing epaulettes.
-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, Aug 18 2008


// range-finding, barcode scanning laser ? //

Of course there is, on the de-luxe model.
-- 8th of 7, Aug 18 2008



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