3D Robotics

Radio-based position tracking works indoors and out

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This sounds very cool. Basically you set up a network of these transmitters in a space, such as a sports field, and multiple multicopters can triangulate off them. Better accuracy than GPS and works indoors and outside.  Found by SUAS News:

The core of this environment is the lpm (local position measurement) of inmotiotec , a radio-basedpositioning system, which can be used both indoor as well as outdoor used. Until now, the Quadrocopter were so dependent on their positioning in GPS receiver and thus operate only under the open sky, with the new tracking system is a thing of the past this limitation.

The new tracking system is a quantum leap in terms of navigation of the aircraft: the positioning improves by a significant order of magnitude compared to the pure use of GPS. Instead of 5 to 6 meters accuracy to get to 5 – 15 cm. If we now also charged that a Quadrocopter has about 30 centimeters in diameter, it quickly becomes clear how accurate it can be flown from now – in other words, the creative department can now play safely.

Today, technology in sports, in the entertainment industry and, indeed, for Spaxels is used. The operation is relatively simple: At least 12 receivers are set up to provide a space and a calibrated reference transponder which must be visible from all 12 recipients. Per second to 1000 position signals are detected, you can fly as in the case of Future Labs with 50 quadrocopters, the position of each aircraft is determined by triangulation 20 times per second, enough data to allow precise trajectories. And in order to save weight divides the transponder’s battery with the respective Quadrocopter on which he sits, energy verso insurance technically is not a problem.

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Comments

  • They sell the system for 4000 euros.
    It's not affordable :(

    We need a diy project for this!!!

  • Funny world - just what I was looking for...

    http://diydrones.com/forum/topics/high-accuracy-local-positioning-s...

    :-)

    G

  • Will these be for sale?

  • Veikko, we're working on this at Loughborough university, UK.  Current challenges are getting the kit you outline light enough and with a low enough power demand to fit on a small UAS, and with a low enough computational demand to be run on embedded systems.

    Going to be exciting when someone cracks it that's for sure!

  • Now if only iRobot would use some sort of real 3d positioning with their roombas that would be good..  intead of the randomized algorithm for covering a room.

  • Notably; it's an active transponder, not merely a receiver as in GPS.

    The challenge so often is that time of flight at radio frequencies is so expensive; probably because it requires custom IC design - and can't really be implemented with a microprocessor, might be possible with FPGA.

    I'd like to hear others on that...

  • Something off topic, Does someone know where these cases are available?

  • Finally an alternative to the time domain product revealed years ago. If only they could get smaller & cheaper.

    http://www.timedomain.com/p400.php
  • Highlights the massive need for a UAS radio frequency in the UK. We're limited to 25mW (14dBm) on the 5.8GHz band which is pathetic for anything with a range over 100m ish.

  • Would be nice to see the cost of such a thing... hopefully less than the tenths of thousands of dollars of computer vision based systems (like the one used at the Zurich University)

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