CLIENT:  Navico/Lowrance & Unitec

PROJECT DATE:   3rd Quarter 2009

The Lowrance/Navico system was a ‘live’ collaboration which was our third project in the second year of my degree.  The brief was to create a possible future view of where Navico could position the Lowrance subsidiary, and gain market share.
The design calls for a combination of hardware and software that can be used together to enhance the fishing experience for all participants using the system.    The main part of the system is based around the current form factor for fish finder /navigation systems – an 11” touchscreen.  The system calls for a 3D sonar scanner, has a small camera and also has an inbuilt fish dictionary.
The novel part of the system is to be found in the “Fish Gripper” which has two new innovations.  The first is a rubberised stem that allows the fish to spin and twist when lifted, vastly reducing fish injuries that are associated with current designs.  The second is a wireless module that weighs the fish, records RFID tagged fish and triggers a photo.  The main unit then records the GPS position, time, fish type, temperature and tides, etc, allowing the skipper of the boat to create a personalised database that can be used to show trends and potential fishing spots in the future.  This data can remain the skipper’s secret, or be passed to friends and fellow anglers.

This project was the first where I was dealing with a complex set of variables which required quick understanding of an unfamiliar social activity that has many different types of stakeholders, as well as create a system where the technology is in service to the end user.