Hacktastico!

So it’s been quite a while since I’ve posted anything. It’s a bit of a shame, really. Well, now that the school year is about to wind down, hopefully I’ll have more time to write up interesting things.

Earlier today, a friend mentioned something about synchronizing watches with me. Call me strange, but I believe a wristwatch is more of a burden/distraction than a helpful utility so I don’t wear one. I replied by saying I’ll make sure my sundial is synced which go me to thinking…

What if I had a digital wrist sundial?

Wrist sundials aren’t anything new. A quick google search will yield plenty of ideas and gag gifts, but even the serious ones require a bit of user knowledge. I propose a design for a fully digital wrist sundial that requires minimal user-intervention.

How it works:

• User selects their approximate latitude (okay, this requires a bit of knowledge, but bear with me)
• True North can then be calculated with the help of a compass unit such as this one from Sparkfun
• The face of the sundial turns so that the gnomon points to true North
• Level bubble (think of the tool) directs user to hold wrist at a level position
• The LCD then displays hour lines according to formulas derived for horizontal sundials (see Wikipedia)
• LCD also displays virtual shadow if sun isn’t out or user is in shade

Alternatively, instead of an LCD projecting hour lines, the face can move at various angles to parallel to compensate for latitude of the user, thus reducing some complexity in the machine. Pack it all into a stylish case and you have a watch for the serious anachronist.

Yes, I realize this idea is a bit outlandish, but the field of ridiculous watches isn’t too picky.

PS - Favorite watch ever