public
spaces.
For
example,
in
2013,
the
Orlando
Airport
tried
to
implement
a
WiFi-based
localization
system
to
help
travelers
navigate
and
offer
location-based
notifications.
Unfortunately,
a
test
in
2014
showed
that
a
WiFi
location
measurement
could
be
30
to
50
feet
off
of
an
individual’s
actual
location
because
of
the
varying
signal
strength
in
a
chaotic
public
space.
Due
to
this
large
inaccuracy,
the
airport
decided
not
to
use
the
WiFi-based
localization
and
switched
to
Bluetooth
beacons
instead.
Bluetooth
beacons
Similar
to
WiFi-based
localization
systems,
most
Bluetooth
beacons
also
rely
on
received
signal
strength
or
proximity
to
calculate
the
relative
distance
from
mobile
phones
to
mobile
beacons.
Typically,
each
Bluetooth
beacon
in
a
network
classifies
a
phone
in
immediate,
far,
and
unknown
regions,
and
the
intersection
of
these
regions
is
the
estimated
location
of
the
phone.
The
main
advantage
of
Bluetooth
beacons
are
large
reception
range,
low
energy
consumption,
relatively
low
cost,
and
device
availability.
Similar
to
WiFi-based
systems,
Bluetooth
beacons
are
accessible
to
all
major
smart
devices,
but
unlike
WiFi-based
systems,
Bluetooth
beacons
require
much
lower
cost
to
install,
since
there
are
lots
of
matured
Bluetooth
products
custom-designed
to
serve
localization
purposes.
Moreover,
the
state-of-the-art
Bluetooth
protocol,
the
Bluetooth
5.0,
supports
the
“Bluetooth
Mesh,”
which
can
host
over
300,000
mobile
devices
at
the
same
time.
These
functionalities
of
Bluetooth
beacons
allow
the
Royal
Botanic
Gardens,
which
receives
about
1.3
million
visitors
annually,
to
push
location-based
information
to
the
users.
In
terms
of
cost,
the
benefit
of
Bluetooth
technology
is
evident
in
the
comparison
of
its
cost
to
Wifi:
the
WiFi
campaign
cost
$8136
and
the
Bluetooth
campaign
cost
$199,
which
is
over
40
times
cheaper.(See
Fig.
3.3)
On
the
other
hand,
Bluetooth
beacons
also
has
several
disadvantages;
Bluetooth
beacons
have
low
localization
accuracy
(the
error
is
typically
more
than
1
meter),
the
system
is
prone
to
noise,
and
deployment
and
maintenance
is
costly
due
to
the
system’s
sensitivity
to
noise.
NFC
Evolved
from
RFID,
the
Near-Field-Communication
technology
operates
as
a
wireless
data
transfer
protocol
that
detects
and
then
enables
technology
in
close
proximity
to
communicate
without
the
need
for
an
internet
connection.
For
localization
purposes,
the
NFC
can
act
as
a
proximity
sensor
to
track
the
user’s
location
at
discrete
intervals.
Many
museums
and
amusement
parks
have
used
NFC
technology
to
enhance
the
visitor
experience.
For
instance,
the
Cooper-Hewitt
Pen
uses
NFC
chips
to
save
exhibition
data
that
the
user
is
interested
in,
and
the
Disney
Magic
Band
uses
NFC
technology
to
unlock
the
door
of
the
user’s
hotel
room
and
send
photos
to
the
user’s
account.
The
main
advantages
of
NFC
are
low
device
cost
and
installation
cost.
However,
they
have
some
major
disadvantages
that
make
them
undesirable
for
most
localization
purposes.
First,
as
tags
for
localization,
NFC
chips
have
a
small
range
of
detection,
which
makes
it
difficult
to
measure
a
user’s
movement
in
space
accurately.
Second,
unlike
WiFi
and
Bluetooth,
which
is
already
supported
by
most
smartphones,
NFC
technology
requires
the
user
to
approach
the
chip
in
close
proximity.
This
can
discourage
the
user
to
interact
with
the
technology,
and
for
this
reason,
major
manufacturers
like
Apple
have
already
moved
away
from
NFC.
Practical
Considerations
of
Bluetooth
Beacons
Since
the
Peabody
Museum
has
planned
to
use
Bluetooth
beacons
as
its
main
localization
technology,
it
is
worthwhile
to
delve
into
the
details
of
the
usage,
accuracy,
battery
life,
and
maintenance
issues
of
this
specific
technology.
As
an
overview,
please
see
Fig.
3.4,
a
table
that
compares
the
most
popular
Bluetooth
beacons
in
the
market.
Of
all
these
products,
the
three
most
widely
used
ones
are
Estimote,
Gimbal
Series
10,
and
Kontakt.
Both
the
Estimote
beacon
and
the
Kontakt
beacon
contain
a
1,000
mAh
battery
that
can
last
about
21
months.
However,
the
battery
inside
the
Estimote
beacon
cannot
be
replaced,
which
means
that
when
the
beacon
is
broken,
a
new
one
has
to
be
purchased.
The
Gimbal
Series
10,
a
cheaper
alternative,
has
a
shorter
battery
life
of
about
1
month.
The
same
manufacturer
also
manufactures
a
larger
version
called
the
Gimbal
Series
21
that
can
last
about
16
months.
Battery
life
is
an
important
factor
because,
in
a
museum
setting,
replacing
the
batteries
inside
dozens
of
Bluetooth
beacons
is
a
very
time-consuming
task.
Other
processes
in
maintenance
include
firmware
and
software
updates,
regular
re-calibration
of
devices,
and
physical
inspection
of
the
beacons.
Devices
that
have
outstanding
customer
support
services
will
bring
a
lot
of
benefits
during
this
process.
According
to
customer
reviews
and
online
support
forums,
the
company
behind
the
Estimote
beacon
responds
to
customer
reports
most
efficiently
and
frequently,
and
this
factor
partly
explains
why
most
large
museums
like
the
Metropolitan
Museum
of
Art
and
the
Guggenheim
Museum
are
using
Estimote
in
their
spaces.
Despite
their
effectiveness,
Bluetooth
beacons
in
general
still
suffer
from
several
hurdles
in
practical
applications.
According
to
a
research
by
Rover
Labs
in
April
2015,
only
40%
of
users
in
the
United
States
across
all
devices
report
using
Bluetooth.
Moreover,
though
it
is
possible
to
push
location-based
notifications
to
users
without
requiring
them
to
download
an
app,
the
data
is
often
inaccurate
and
the
functionalities
are
very
limited.
To
unleash
the
full
advantages
of
Bluetooth
beacon
technology,
it
is
necessary,
albeit
very
difficult,
for
users
to
install
a
custom
app
on
their
phones.
In
short,
user
acceptance
is
still
a
serious
issue
for
Bluetooth
beacon.
Applications
Magic
happens
when
location
data
and
motion
sensors
merge
with
other
forms
of
interaction.
Recently,
designers,
inventors,
and
scientists
have
fused
these
technologies
to
demonstrate
the
wondrous
future
of
visitor
interaction
that
engages
all
human
senses.
Navigation
and
Light
Using
mediation
headbands,
motion
sensors,
and
projection
mapping
technology,
artist
Nick
Verstand
created
an
installation
that
envelops
a
visitor
inside
a
light
curtain
that
vibrates
based
on
the
visitor’s
mental
state.(See
Fig.
3.5)
Likewise,
Japanese
design
studio
TeamLab
created
a
room
full
of
LED
panels
and
projected
screens
that
surrounded
the
visitors
inside
a
giant
vortex
that
swirled
around
relative
to
the
visitor’s
motion.(See
Fig.
3.6)
Using