NaviGadget

avoiding GPS dark spots

Dec 4, 2006 gps navigation, hacks, misc news

Researchers at Sarnoff have come with a way to keep your GPS signal fixed even when you are in an area heavily populated with tall buildings. It uses processing of stereo video images to calculate your position accurate to within 3 feet for a whole half kilometer (1/3 miles).

The new technology uses four cameras, two facing forward and two facing backward. When your GPS signal starts to fade the system kicks-in and starts making lightning-speed heavy-duty calculations from the 2-D cameras in order to come up with a 3-D location fix. The system then compares the data to known fixed objects, filtering those out in a process called “visual odometry”. If all goes as planned you shouldn’t even feel you lost GPS signal at all.

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