Drone navigates by the stars
Australian researchers have developed a system that can navigate by the stars in cases where it is not possible to determine a position using GPS.
(Image: Mit Kumar Roy/Shutterstock.com)
The Global Positioning System (GPS) has long been the global standard for positioning and navigation. However, this technology is not 100 percent reliable. For example, solar flares or heavy snowfall can interfere with satellite signals, the US military can reduce the accuracy of positioning for third parties or GPS jammers can interfere with GPS positioning.
As an alternative, a team led by Samuel Teague at the University of South Australia in Adelaide has developed a lightweight setup for commercially available drones. It includes a USB camera with a wide-angle lens that can take photos of the starry sky. A Raspi 5 on board analyzes these images and determines the position data in conjunction with the time and orientation of the drone. In initial tests, it was possible to determine the location to an accuracy of four kilometers by having the drone circle at a constant height and photograph the starry sky. The algorithm then calculated any distortions out of the images and determined the position.
(Image:Â Bild: University of South Australia)
The novel navigation system is insensitive to jamming attacks. Teague therefore sees it as an alternative for use in war zones, for example, where GPS navigation could be disrupted and drones should not draw attention to themselves by using this passive technology.
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One obvious disadvantage of the technology is that the drone must have a clear view of the starry sky. The researchers therefore point out that short-wave infrared cameras also allow images of the night sky to be taken in daylight, albeit with a significantly poorer signal-to-noise ratio. The use of such sensor technology could therefore enable star navigation for drones in the future, even during the day or when the sky is overcast.
(agr)
