More powerful and accurate than GPS, researchers develop positioning system with 10cm accuracy

According to foreign media reports, researchers from Delft University of Technology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the Netherlands Institute of Metrology (VSL) have developed an alternative positioning system that is more powerful and accurate than GPS. , especially in urban environments. A working prototype demonstrating this new mobile network infrastructure can achieve an accuracy of 10 centimeters. This new technology is important for enabling a range of location-based applications, including self-driving cars, quantum communications and next-generation mobile communications systems.

Image source: TU Delft

Many important infrastructures rely heavily on global navigation satellite systems, such as the U.S. GPS and the European Union's Galileo system. However, these satellite-based systems have their limitations and weaknesses. For example, the radio signals received on Earth are weak, and if the radio signals are reflected or blocked by buildings, accurate positioning can no longer be achieved. Christiaan Tiberius, Delft University of Technology and coordinator of the project, said: "These weaknesses can make GPS unreliable in urban environments and problematic for use with self-driving cars. Currently, most people and institutions rely on GPS to use location-based apps and navigation devices, but no backup system."