NILEQ, Advanced Navigation Aim to Give Drones GPS-Free Navigation — By Scanning Earth's Fingerprint

Autonomous systems specialist Advanced Navigation has announced a partnership with NILEQ to develop a resilient navigation system that, it claims, could allow uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) to accurately navigate without using GPS or other Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) constellations — by scanning the "fingerprint" of the Earth.

"In an increasingly uncertain world where interference is becoming ubiquitous, commercial and military sectors can no longer rely purely on GPS for flight operations," claims Chris Shaw, chief executive officer at Advanced Navigation, of the problem the companies are setting out to solve. "There is an urgent need for additional navigation aiding to supplement platform inertial navigation and GPS receiver systems."

The system the companies are developing is based on a technology developed by MDBA Systems subsidiary NILEQ, which maintains a database of the Earth's surface. Data captured by scanners on UAVs and other aerial vehicles is processed by brain-like neuromorphic processors and quickly matched to the database — in, its creators explain, the same way that the peaks and valleys of a fingerprint is matched to an individual user. The system then provides absolute-position updates to the vehicle's inertial positioning system — eliminating drift without the use of GNSS constellations like GPS.

"We look forward to seeing MBDA’s innovation-driven solutions form the cornerstone of future airborne navigation systems," says MDBA's Tom Tizard. "NILEQ seeks to address the enormous demand for resilient absolute positioning information that will complement the existing navigation systems of airborne platforms. Advanced Navigation are an ideal Australian partner to help accelerate the technology towards market entry. Navigation technologies that are not simply accurate and precise, but also provide the 'resilience' against interference, is what propels this partnership."

More information on NILEQ's technology is available on the company website; validation of the technology in-the-field is planned to take place in Australia in partnership with Advanced Navigation.