Drift: a tool for getting lost in familiar places
Drift v1.5 has been submitted & now approved on the App Store (June 14, 2012). This update offers some UI improvements and should fix the issues users have faced on iPhone 3G and 3GS regarding your current location. More information is available here.
Finally launched and available in the iOS App Store!
Drift helps you get lost in familiar places by guiding you on a walk using randomly assembled instructions. Each instruction will ask you to move in a specific direction and, using the compass, look for something normally hidden or unnoticed in our everyday experiences.
As you find these hidden or unnoticed things, you will be asked to document them with the camera, creating a photographic record of you walk. Drift also keeps track of where and when you took the photos and makes your documentation optionally available for others to view through the Drift website.
Drift was developed by Justin Langlois in collaboration with Broken City Lab.
This project was generously supported by the Ontario Arts Council Media Arts Grant for Emerging Artists.


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Fun ‘get lost’ face-off: Serendipitor & Drift (from @BrokenCityLab). Algorithmic walks guided by phone… http://t.co/5Z8fFjmt
It’s finally here! RT@BrokenCityLab: Drift: a tool for getting lost in familiar places ” — http://t.co/hMTRimZI
Own a smartphone and want to re-discover the city in which you live? Check out the Drift app by Broken City Lab. http://t.co/xqAEgORK
New project: Drift, an iphone-app to help you get lost in familiar places, graciously funded by the @oac_cao Media Arts http://t.co/d4nQB2wK
Very cool! “@BrokenCityLab: New project: Drift, an iphone-app to help you get lost in familiar places http://t.co/vZcpHTZl“
Ooo! playful app RT “@BrokenCityLab: ” Drift: a tool for getting lost in familiar places ” — http://t.co/SPcKF5Ot” ping @agencyofconey
Modern psychogeography! Check out this cool new app for the technological dérive: http://t.co/YlVihiTL @BrokenCityLab
this is the coolest thing ever! im going outside to play with the app RIGHT NOW.
This is incredible! SO EXCITING! The video is perfect for it too!
Awesome job. SHARE
@BrokenCityLab has created a new iPhone app to help you get lost in familiar places. Download Drift and go for a stroll http://t.co/GCf6VIQW
You can add Drift to the list of apps I will get once I have a smart phone: http://t.co/QE2EN7iv
Drift: a tool for getting lost in familiar places http://t.co/dp4gwI3H – looks very cool. Wonder if there’s an #Android version?
This is the first time I see a tool to get lost in the city. Very interesting concept.
Agreed with above; any prospects for an Android version?
Any android plans? Been waiting for this app for ages ;)
Love this concept! I did my first today, on bike. Is there any way to share maps and photos of drifts?
Working on a more robust solution, but for now, some of the most recent photos from Drifts marked as public are shown in the sidebar of our site!
When you click on a photo, it shows the location it was taken on a map. Hoping to integrate this into the app itself (eventually).
Fantastic, I hope you can keep developing it!
Had so much fun with this today. Was getting very bored walking around the same old streets with the baby every day, now I can’t wait for tomorrow’s walk! Cheers Heather (Australia)