Even though most of today's aircraft rely heavily on GPS for navigation, the technology is far from infallible. That's why an alternative system is in the works, which may soon allow planes to navigate by "reading the fingerprint" of the terrain they're flying over.
In order for GPS (and other satellite-based positioning systems) to work to its full extent, the aircraft's GPS receiver must be able to lock onto the signals of at least four satellites at once. Unfortunately this isn't always possible, due to factors such as atmospheric conditions or even intentional signal-jamming perpetrated by enemy forces.
The as-yet-unnamed new system, which is being developed by Australian firm Advanced Navigation and European missile manufacturer MBDA, swaps the GPS receiver for a downward-facing neuromorphic camera.
Also known as an event camera, a neuromorphic camera incorporates pixels that independently respond to changes in brightness as they occur. This functionality allows the camera to pick out much more detail than a traditional camera, and to perform better in low-light conditions.
As an airplane that's equipped with the new system flies over the ground, its neuromorphic camera reads the highlights of the terrain below. This data, which is the terrain's unique "fingerprint," is cross-referenced against an existing worldwide database of fingerprints stored on an onboard computer. By matching the current terrain's fingerprint to one in the database, it's possible to ascertain the aircraft's exact geographical location.
The imagery used to build the database is obtained from sources such as NASA, NOAA and Google Earth. Because only basic light-and-dark information is utilized – as opposed to full-resolution color photos – the data can be highly compressed, minimizing the required memory space and processing power. In fact, the system is reportedly simple enough that it doesn't utilize any AI.
Advanced Navigation tells us the system's NILEQ neuromorphic camera, which is made by MBDA, performs relatively well even at night and over snow-covered terrain.
In cases where the camera simply can't get a reading – such as when flying over lakes or thick clouds – the aircraft's INS (inertial navigation system) can temporarily take over, using its motion sensors to gauge the plane's current location relative to its most recently acquired fingerprint-verified location. Extended travel over oceans or thoroughly overcast areas could prove to be more of a challenge, however.
A real-world demonstration of the system is planned to take place next year in Australia, followed by a commercial rollout of the technology.
Source: Advanced Navigation
