Using Bluetooth to track items isn’t new and it’s a pretty simple concept. We’ve seen it used in tracking devices like Trackr where when you move in/out of range, it will alert you so that you know if your bag is being stolen or if you’re close to finding your keys that are buried deep between your couch cushions.
However the only problem with the current version of Bluetooth is that it’s not directional, and it is only good up to the meter, which means that your keys could be behind you but you wouldn’t know, and given that it is small, it makes it harder to be found. However it seems that in an update to the Bluetooth 5.1 standard, directional finding will be a feature to look forward to.
This means that if you are using a compatible device, this directional feature will give users the direction in which they can begin searching for something, like whether it’s in front of them, behind them, or to their sides. The accuracy has also been improved to “centimeter-level”, meaning that it should help with smaller items that could be easily overlooked during a search.
That being said, it might be a while before we can actually start seeing this in consumer products. This is because the Bluetooth 5.1 spec is only available to developers right now, so it could be a while before devices and software start to take advantage of it.
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