Of course, some people like baking and grilling in the hot sun all day, staying in the fanโs breeze will be the perfect way to keep them cool and energetic. But it wonโt help someone who is moving around. Because we have to re-position the fan when we walk or move.
โFollowing Fanโ is a person-tracking robotic fan that uses the patent-pending computer vision technology to detect the user and automatically rotate itself to stay pointed at them. It was invented by Minnesota-based engineers Nate Oelke and AJ Sakher. Both of them have mutual interests in computer science and robotics. It all happens when Nate and AJ try to do some workout in their home gym.
Due to the lockdown, Nate turns his garage into aย home gym. Unfortunately, the garage doesnโt have any proper air conditioning system. So they have to re-position the fan every time they moveย throughout the garage. As a result, after some research and prototypes, they have come up with the idea of โFollowing Fanโ. It has a camera in the center of the fan grill to capture the environment.
Following Fan
Following Fan
Following Fan
After that, a computer vision algorithm will process the video in real-time to find the person. Once the fan detects a person nearby, It automatically rotates itself to point the person. When the person leaves the environment the motor will automatically put to sleep. This person-tracking floor fan made of a steel frame and features a 20 inches aluminum blade.
However, this fan works completely offline. So it wonโt share or stores the video. Like an ordinary floor fan, it also has a stationary and oscillation mode to keep the fan in a fixed position. Currently, this Following Fan raising funds on Kickstarter. An early bird pledge of $199 will get you one if it reaches production.
Source: Following Fan
Watch the Person-Tracking Floor Fan in action
