The solution developed by RedFrog helps you find your way around large building complexes

When entering a large hospital, university, or exhibition hall, we often find ourselves desperately studying maps and signs, asking passers-by for help, or simply hoping that the room we are looking for is just around the corner. That is why Latvian company RedFrog has developed Stride Navigation, a convenient indoor navigation solution that can be used on your smartphone. 

“It’s easy to find your way around outside where tools like Google Maps and others make sure of that. However, when you enter a large building, these solutions no longer work. They don’t tell you where a specific room, department, or information point is located. Our solution can do that – it helps visitors who are unfamiliar with the location to easily find what they need by following precise and clear directions on their phone,” says company co-founder Toms Žunna. 

A simple and customer-friendly solution 

Stride Navigation technology is based on Bluetooth beacons or “tags” that are placed throughout the building. These small sensors communicate with the user’s phone, helping to pinpoint their location and showing them step by step how to get to their chosen destination. such as a specific hospital ward, customer service point, or exhibition stand.   

The solution is particularly suitable for large office buildings, hospital and university complexes, student campuses, airports, and other large infrastructure facilities were finding your way around is often a challenge. Contrary to what one might think, introducing Stride Navigation does not require significant investments. 

“Each Bluetooth beacon costs around four euros, and, for example, a five-story office building would require around 120-150 beacons. This means that the initial cost for such a building is only around 600 euros. The only additional costs later are the license and monthly subscription fees,” Mr Žunna explains. 

He adds that the only prerequisite is digitised building or site plans: if these do not exist, they must be created, but this process is not expensive and does not require complex technical involvement. “This is a very affordable solution. No huge investments or technically complex installation is required; our customers are usually able to install the beacons themselves according to the plan we have prepared,” Mr Žunna explains. 

If the building has digital plans, RedFrog prepares an optimal beacon placement plan. The company also provides technical support and training to make the implementation process as simple as possible. In places where this solution has been introduced, navigation is available to users either in the Stride app or, upon request, the solution is integrated as an additional feature into a customer’s existing application.  

Currently, Stride Navigation provides 1–2-meter accuracy, which is a high indicator for indoor navigation. However, the company is continuing to work on improving the technology to achieve even higher accuracy for very specific applications.  

First major project: Riga Technical University 

RedFrog’s first major project is to equip the Ķīpsala campus of Riga Technical University with a navigation solution. The project is currently in its final stages: all the beacons have been installed, the application is working, and it is planned that it will soon be available to students and visitors. 

“The RTU project is special to us as it is the first proof that our technology works. Students will no longer have to wander around the maze of lecture halls, they will simply open the app and see where to go,” says Mr Žunna. 

LIAA support: a springboard to exports 

Shortly after its founding in 2022, RedFrog joined the business incubator set up by the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) in Jelgava, which has given the company access to financial support instruments, mentoring and consulting, as well as a valuable platform for exchanging information and experience with other entrepreneurs. 

In future, the company sees its development mainly in export markets, with a particular focus on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, as well as Central Europe. Therefore, LIAA support for participation in an international exhibition in Dubai was particularly important, from where RedFrog representatives returned with the conviction that there is demand for their solution. 

“We saw that interest was coming from various sectors – from hospitals and universities, from business parks and airports. During this trip, for example, we also met with the management of Dubai Airport. The great interest and responsiveness were a valuable signal that we are moving in the right direction. Now that we have returned from the trip, we are working on developing these valuable contacts,” Mr Žunna says. 

Information material prepared with the support of the European Regional Development Fund