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The Totem Compass is designed to give you freedom. Freedom to roam, freedom to dance. Freedom from fear & uncertainty.
Our technology is creating a new era for festivals and live events around the world: a safer, more immersive, more beautiful era than ever before.
To achieve this, Totems harness the power of GNSS, layered with a peer-to-peer communication protocol and our Unity Mesh Network™ that allows you to find your friends by simply following the pretty lights.
This blog will cover everything you need to know about the User Interface on your Totem Compass. For more information on how the Totem Compass works, check out our blog post all about it!
There are 5 key features that comprise your Totem Compass User Interface:
- Tilt
- Touch Crystal
- Halo
- Power Button
- SOS Button
Let's get into it!
Tilt Recognition
Just like your phone, your festival totem can tell when you pick it up. It does this through tilt recognition.
Vibe Mode vs. Compass Mode
Depending on its orientation, your Totem Compass will enter different states.
When your Totem is hanging vertically on your chest, it automatically enters Vibe Mode. When you pick it up in horizontal orientation, it enters Compass Mode. There are certain functions that the Totems can only perform in each mode.
When your rave compass is in Vibe Mode:
- it sound-reacts to the noise around you,
- it can enter Eco Mode,
- and it can display SOS alerts on the Touch Crystal.
Everything else—navigation, bonding, bond removal, crystal color changes—happens when your Totem is in Compass Mode (horizontal orientation).
The Totem Touch Crystal
The Touch Crystal is your hub for managing all your Bonds. Check out this blog post to learn how to Bond your Totem with your friends!
Touch Crystal Features & Functions
While in Vibe Mode, the Touch Crystal will display a custom color, which you can change at any time by simply tapping it while in Compass Mode. There are 11 different colors to choose from.
While in Compass Mode, the Touch Crystal has 3 key functions:
As a reminder, the Touch Crystal can only be pressed when your Totem is in Compass Mode (horizontal orientation).
Bond Lights in the Touch Crystal
When you are navigating to your friends, your Bond Lights will collect into the Touch Crystal once you get close to them. Check out our Totem Compass Navigation tutorial for more information on your Bond Lights.
Fun fact: Totem Compass technology allows for incredible degrees of satellite precision, allowing you to navigate to less than a meter away from your friends in ideal conditions.
Your Totem's Halo
The Halo is the ring of light that goes around the circumference of the Totem Compass. When your rave totem is in Vibe Mode (hanging vertically), this is the light that vibes to the sounds around you.
It's also used to communicate things to you, such as:
- software update animation
- Bonding animation
- battery life percentage
Additionally, it tracks the heading and distance of your Bonds when you’re in Compass Mode (horizontal orientation).
The Power Button
Now let's take a look at the back of the Totem Compass. When you turn your Totem Compass over, you can see that there are two buttons at the bottom.
The raised button on the right is the Power Button.
To turn on your Totem, click the Power Button once. To turn off your Totem, press and hold the power button for a few seconds.
Additionally, the Power Button can be used to switch Eco Mode on and off, which mutes Vibe Mode and saves battery life.
We recommend using Eco Mode during the day at an event to ensure you get as much battery life as possible – Vibe Mode looks the best at night, after all!
The SOS Button
The depressed button on the left side of your festival compass is the SOS Button. It's in a depressed cavity to make sure that you don't press it by accident.
How to Send SOS Alerts on your Totem Compass
This SOS button allows you to send SOS alerts to your Bonded friends. To send an SOS alert with your Totem Compass, press and hold the SOS Button until a red light behind the button begins to blink.
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.
Last but certainly not least, the SOS button also allows you to initiate a Software Update by clicking it three times in succession.
Simplicity is Everything
So now you’ve learned about the 5 major pieces of the Totem Compass user interface: Tilt, Touch Crystal, Halo, Power Button, SOS Button.
The Totem Compass User Interface is designed with simplicity in mind.
Simplicity is one of Totem’s Four Core Values. Simple solutions are beautiful solutions. We are here to reduce complexity in your life, not add to it.
The last thing anyone needs when they’ve gotten lost at a massive festival or event is to have to remember complex navigation processes or carry around an instruction manual. With festivals like EDC Orlando reporting the highest attendance numbers to date, this is more important than ever.
By eliminating the need for phones, apps, menus and event screens, festival and live event attendees can feel true freedom by living in the moment.
Stay tuned for future blogs, and as always, let the lights guide you 🫶
