We’ve all been there: you’re at a concert or festival and it’s packed. You’re there with your friends and you’re making your way through the crowd, having a great time. When next thing you know, your group splits up — whether it’s on purpose to grab a drink or you accidentally lose each other in the masses. You try to get everyone back together but through the sea full of people, you can’t find each other. What makes it worse? You’ve all lost cell service or your phone is dead. At this point, there’s no telling when you’ll be reunited with your crew. This can not only be frustrating, but also anxiety-inducing and unsafe depending on the scenario.
Enter Totem Labs’ genius solution to one of the most frustrating parts of live events. Totem Labs, born from a real-life experience, came to life after founder Chase Lemonds had an experience similar to the one described above at EDC Orlando in 2019. His phone got stolen within a few hours of arriving at the festival and he got separated from the one friend he had come with. Cue wandering the festival grounds alone for hours without any way to contact anyone.
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As a result of this experience, Totem was founded with four cornerstones in mind: love, unity, simplicity, and beauty. Through Totem, Lemonds and co-founder Carter Fowler strive to bring people together in a simple way so that they can experience more beauty and love in their lives. With these principles in mind, the pair started working on their debut product, the very same one that came to Lemonds’ mind that fateful day at EDC Orlando: the Totem Compass.
The Totem Compass aims to eliminate that feeling of being lost and alone at music events, even when you’re surrounded by a sea of people. With no Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or cell phone required, the Totem Compass is a sleek, water-resistant and dirt-proof gadget that fits right around your neck —making it perfect for festival-goers of any age. Each Compass uses colorful LED lights to guide you back to your friends, and in case of an emergency, you can turn your compass to SOS mode to send out a signal. With an all-day battery life and a quick USB-C charge, the Totem Compass is as durable as it is stylish.
How does the Totem Compass work?
The magic of the Totem Compass lies in its GNSS technology and the Unity Mesh Network, a peer-to-peer network designed specifically for Totem Labs. It pinpoints your location and allows your compass to link with your friends, without needing any cellular connection.
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The range is impressive too — up to 700 meters (~6 football fields or close to half a mile), however, the more people using the Totem Compass at a festival, the bigger the range becomes. This results in a practically boundless range at large events, especially as more and more people use the devices.
The Totem Compass has been live tested at Tomorrowland in Belgium, Lost in Dreams in Los Angeles and Rose on the River in Chicago.
So, how do you use the Totem Compass?
Since to Totem, consent is a top priority, they’ve integrated explicit two-way consent across the Totem Compass, meaning both compasses need to be close and undergoing “bonding mode” at the same time — no accidental pairing here, just a trusted connection with your friends.
Once bonded, your Compass will light up with a unique color for each friend — pink will always be your first, green for your second, blue for your third and yellow for your fourth and final connection. Though you can only bond with up to four other compasses, you can connect larger groups by creating a daisy chain effect where each compass connects with a few others in a group. This allows your group of 4 to turn a limitless number of compasses, always ensuring everyone is safe and reachable.
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And when you’re not in Compass mode, your device doesn’t sit idle, it vibes with the music. Tested at various live sets such as Goth Babe, Jon Batiste, Khruangbin, T-Pain, Seven Lions, Red Hot Chili Peppers and more, your compass will light up with pulsing lights that react to the music.
How do you get the Totem Compass?
Currently in production, pre-sale orders of the Gen1 Totem Compass will ship in late October. New orders are available on Totem’s website with shipping beginning in November and discounts available if you order them in groups.
The Totem Compass offers a simple, no-brainer solution to one of the most common frustrations of music festivals: losing track of your friends, a problem that has existed longer than cell phones themselves. As festival culture continues to thrive, the Totem Compass is set to revolutionize how we navigate large events, ensuring that no matter where the music takes you, you’ll never feel lost again.
If you want to read more from our November issue, read the full issue online.
Or you can purchase a physical copy while supplies last.
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