You let us know where you want your compass to point - either an address, a spot on a map, or GPS coordinates. We program your compass with that location, and then a GPS chip inside the compass calculates the direction and distance to your spot. The compass has a rechargeable battery and a small motor that moves the two hands.

The longer red hand of the compass points in the direction of your destination, while the short black hand tells you how far away it is.

Yes! All compasses can be reprogrammed with a smartphone

If you reserve a compass, you’ll get yours by Thanksgiving (November 28th this year). Otherwise, all compasses will arrive by Christmas this year. I expect to beat those delivery deadlines by a month or more, but that’s what I’m committing to.

The kickstarter price will be $179 plus shipping, with an early bird price of $119 plus shipping. After the kickstarter is over, the price will be $249

The compass will give you the direction and distance to your target, and if you follow it it will take you there. However, the compass, like a normal magnetic compass, has no knowledge of the landscape. It won’t direct you to avoid property lines, alligator pits, highways, bodies of water, international borders, etc. Please use good judgment when using the compass.

The compass accounts for magnetic declination. In ideal conditions it should point to within a few degrees of the true direction of your spot, however, large hunks of metal (like cars) or nearby magnetic fields (like transmission lines) can interfere with its measurements, and it does best with a clear view of the sky. It will not work underground or on planets other than Earth.

Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform. It’s a way for inventors and entrepreneurs (like me!) to get a large enough number of orders to justify a production run. You’ll pay the money for the compass up front, and then I will order the parts, assemble and program the compasses, and ship them to you.

The suppliers for the wooden bases, brass ring, glass, printed circuit board, batteries, and clock hands are all in China, but the compasses will be assembled, programmed, and shipped from right here in my workshop in Buffalo, NY. By assembling them here, we can offer more customization options and better quality control. If you’d like to see how the prototypes have been made, check out this cool timelapse video.

Each compass comes with a charge cable and a manual. Custom faceplates and glass etching are also available for an additional fee.

I’m Karl Smith, I am the inventor and sole owner of the Truest North Compass. I have a PhD in Biophysics from the University of Rochester, and I worked as a software developer for Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant. I’m also a professional storyteller whose work has been profiled by USAToday and Scientific American. One of the reasons I believe in this invention so much is because it is a storytelling device. It celebrates people's connection to special places. It reminds us of stories that should not be forgotten.