Henk Rogers hired us to help bring his LED Pole Backpacks to Burning Man 2017. These were 4-8′ poles mounted in a small hydration back, with a string of LED blinking a random selection from 30 patterns. A  30′ tower at base camp also held a much longer LED string. The backpacks communicated over a wifi mesh network. When they saw another pole on the net, they switch to a common pattern. MIOAT was contracted to complete the Arduino application, install it on the packs and provide on site support. Our NeoEffects library was used and enhanced during this project.

The backpacks worked quite well at night on Playa.  Friends find see each other well across the expanse and in crowds.  We have been considering more advanced synchronization of patterns using the mesh network.  It might be possible to get an animation to play across them … if you could get 20 festival goers to line up in order and not wander off.

The backpacks were small CamelBack hydration packs (model?).  A length of PVC pipe was strapped inside to hold the fishing pole.  These were secured inside by ?…? Longer strings were provided to secure the pole from wobbling too much.

Reference image below (wish there was better one).

Code for the project is being cleaned for release on some Git platform (current closed git).

Processor board is the Adafruit Feather HUZZAH, “an ESP8266 WiFi microcontroller clocked at 80 MHz and at 3.3V logic. This microcontroller contains a Tensilica chip core as well as a full WiFi stack. You can program the microcontroller using the Arduino IDE for an easy-to-run Internet of Things core.” (adafruit description).  LED strip was standard waterproof WS2812 LED strips (Adafruit NeoPixel and many other sources).  Power was supplied by a 5vdc USB rechargeable battery pack fed thru a USB breakout board so the 5vdc could directly drive the LED strip, without going thru the (power limiting) regulators on the processor board.   The board MAY also have provided a level shifter for the 3.3v signal from Feather to the LED strip.  The processor is capable of driving most strips (although quality of the strips may vary).

Here is a short video shot of the crew circling the feet of The Man, wearing the LED Pole Packs .  Note *most* of the poles have the same Sync’d pattern, but some are playing random pattern. We have not tracked down just why that happens, but it is kinda neat effect.  Not everyone is a follower.