The University of Glasgow have come up with a Bluetooth application that will allow spectators to communicate with one another in stadiums. Making use of ad hoc Bluetooth networks between devices, spectators will be able to message, transmit pictures and even videos without any external infrastructure and all free of charge. Trials will conclude next March by when they are hoping the idea will be picked up by industry.
Imagine watching a football match, seeing a foul and being able to immediately swap comments with friends who saw the same incident from the other side of the stadium. By enabling mobiles to communicate with each other without sending messages via a network, new technology being developed will enable people in different parts of a stadium to share banter, photos and video clips instantly, reliably – and free of charge
[Photo from Flickr]
Tags: gadget, bluetooth+stadium+communication, university+of+glasgow
Sounds similar to what they've been doing at Safeco field in Seattle for the last 2-3 years. Except at Safeco it's using Nintendo DS handhelds to watch live video, hear commentary, view pitch speed/location, order food and quite a few other things. Good to see that the idea is spreading, even better is if it spreads to other devices like cell phones/laptops/PDAs.
From what I understand Brandon, this is a different kind of network. Instead of sending out info to everyone via a wifi hub, you establish the network with the people around you, without using any infrastructure. All you need is the app on the phone/PDA.