Tech
Super Accurate GPS Technology May Create Fleet of Unmanned Package Delivery Drones
Catherine Griffin
First Posted: May 05, 2015 12:39 PM EDT
A new, centimeter-accurate GPS could create a new fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles that could deliver packages to a specific location on a consumer's back porch. Scientists have created a GPS-based positioning system that could revolutionize geolocation.
In this latest effort, the researchers built a low-cost system that reduces location errors from the size of a large car to the size of a nickel. That's a more than 100 times increase in accuracy. This could be huge for geolocation on virtual reality headsets, cellphones and other technologies.
"Imagine games where, rather than sit in front of a monitor and play, you are in your backyard actually running around with other players," said Todd Humphreys, one of the researchers, in a news release. "To be able to do this type of outdoor, multiplayer virtual reality game, you need highly accurate position and orientation that is tied to a global reference frame."
Centimeter-accurate positioning systems are already being used in geology, surveying and mapping. However, these technologies are too large and costly for mobile devices. In this case, the researchers employed a powerful and sensitive software-defined GPS receiver that can extract centimeter accuracies from the inexpensive antennas found in mobile devices.
The researchers believe that their technology could make a significant difference in people's daily lives, including transportation. The new technology could lead to better vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology.
"If your car knows in real time the precise position and velocity of an approaching car that is blocked from view by other traffic, your car can plan ahead to avoid a collision," said Humphreys.
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
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First Posted: May 05, 2015 12:39 PM EDT
A new, centimeter-accurate GPS could create a new fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles that could deliver packages to a specific location on a consumer's back porch. Scientists have created a GPS-based positioning system that could revolutionize geolocation.
In this latest effort, the researchers built a low-cost system that reduces location errors from the size of a large car to the size of a nickel. That's a more than 100 times increase in accuracy. This could be huge for geolocation on virtual reality headsets, cellphones and other technologies.
"Imagine games where, rather than sit in front of a monitor and play, you are in your backyard actually running around with other players," said Todd Humphreys, one of the researchers, in a news release. "To be able to do this type of outdoor, multiplayer virtual reality game, you need highly accurate position and orientation that is tied to a global reference frame."
Centimeter-accurate positioning systems are already being used in geology, surveying and mapping. However, these technologies are too large and costly for mobile devices. In this case, the researchers employed a powerful and sensitive software-defined GPS receiver that can extract centimeter accuracies from the inexpensive antennas found in mobile devices.
The researchers believe that their technology could make a significant difference in people's daily lives, including transportation. The new technology could lead to better vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology.
"If your car knows in real time the precise position and velocity of an approaching car that is blocked from view by other traffic, your car can plan ahead to avoid a collision," said Humphreys.
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone