Intro to SOS Mode
The Totem Compass is designed to make attendees at festivals and live events feel safer and more free. If you’re new to the music festival scene, or if you’re at a massive festival like Lollapalooza or Coachella, the dense crowds can quickly become overwhelming and stressful. One minute you’re vibing hard with your friends, and the next minute you’re surrounded by strangers with no familiar face in sight.
The Totem Compass is designed to give you freedom. Freedom from fear, freedom from uncertainty. Freedom to roam, freedom to dance.
In order to feel free, you have to feel safe. Safety and freedom go hand in hand.
Once you Bond your Totem Compass with your friends, the Totems use GNSS layered with a peer-to-peer communication protocol and our Unity Mesh Network™ that allows you to find your friends without cell service or wifi. When the Totem Compass isn’t helping you track your friends in large crowds, it hangs on your chest in Vibe Mode with lights that sound-react to the music around you.
One important feature that goes beyond the nuts and bolts of how the Totem Compass works is the SOS feature, also called SOS Mode. SOS Mode is one of the most important functions of the Totem Compass. It helps people feel safe at festivals and live events when they otherwise might feel vulnerable or afraid. Sometimes at a festival, we’re not always in the headspace to venture out alone and find our friends, but we still want to link up with them. SOS Mode makes that possible.
How SOS Mode Works on the Totem Compass
Using SOS Mode super easy. Here’s a breakdown of how to use it:
- Press and hold the depressed button on the back of the Totem Compass
- The area around the button on your Totem will begin to blink red, signaling to you that SOS mode is on
- The peer light showing your location on your friends’ Totems will begin to blink, telling them it’s time to come find you
The SOS feature is designed with simplicity in mind. Music festivals and live events are places where it’s easy to experience sensory overload. When you’re in a vulnerable state of mind, it can be difficult to think clearly. SOS Mode makes it so your friends can find you while preserving your mental bandwidth.
The Design of the Totem’s SOS Button
SOS Mode is designed to be an intentional action. The SOS button on the back of your Totem is depressed, meaning it falls slightly below the surface of the Totem Compass. This is so you don’t accidentally press it and trigger an emergency signal among your friends. It’s easy to get jostled around in large festival or live event settings. The depressed SOS button required you to apply a fair amount of finger pressure to turn it on, instead of accidentally deploying it at a show.
One important thing to note is that the SOS button is completely silent. That means that it won’t alert the people around you that you’ve activated it—it will only alert your friends that you’ve bonded with. Sometimes, when we’re feeling vulnerable or frightened in a public setting, we don’t want the people around us to know that we’re experiencing discomfort. The discreet nature of the SOS button respects your privacy.
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Your Safety Matters at Music Festivals
Imagine a world where everyone feels completely safe and free at a music festival or live event. It would be a world filled with more joy. More dancing. More beautiful memories. More love. This is the world that Totem is working to create.
Safety at a music festival is not just about your physical wellbeing—it’s a feeling that weaves through every dance, every shared smile, and every moment of pure joy. It is the assurance that the space we are in is nurturing and protective, allowing us to immerse ourselves fully in the moment.
When we feel safe, we dance without restraint. We belly-laugh. We open ourselves to the beauty of human connection. We forge bonds that move beyond the boundaries of the festival and make memories that withstand the test of time.
The Totem Compass is designed by festival-goers, for festival-goers. Your safety—and the safety of all festival or event attendees—matters. The SOS button equips you with peace of mind, knowing that, even in your most vulnerable moments, you aren’t alone.
