We expect our phones, cars and other connected technologies to know where they are and to communicate wherever we go. The Global Positioning System, or GPS, helps make that possible, but the satellite signals GPS uses can’t reach everywhere. Inside buildings, underground and among tall buildings, those signals can be blocked or disrupted. Now, Michigan State University researchers have demonstrated how wireless systems can work together without relying on GPS.
Jeffrey Nanzer, MSU Research Foundation Distinguished Professor in the College of Engineering, leads the team developing the technology, which uses what engineers call a “distributed array” to bring multiple wireless systems together so they can act like one larger system.
This technology also could help wireless systems pinpoint the location of objects with remarkable precision. Nanzer’s team has demonstrated positioning accuracy of an item within 0.82 millimeters, or roughly a grain of sand.