Digital Compass

An electronic sensor that detects the Earth's magnetic field to determine the direction a person or device is facing, providing heading information in degrees or cardinal directions. In assistive technology for blind and visually impaired users, digital compasses are integrated into wearable navigation systems and smartphones to provide orientation information — the user's current facing direction relative to a target destination. Digital compasses can be mounted on the body (for body-referenced orientation) or on the head (for head-referenced orientation), each providing different spatial reference frames useful in wayfinding applications.