Tracking improved with ultra-wideband
Researchers at the University of California and San Diego have developed a system that significantly improves short-range data transmission and object location using ultra-wideband (UWB) technology. A modified system simply sends a sum signal to all receivers, which send it back.
Dinesh Bharadia from the University of California, San Diego and colleagues have decisively improved data transmission over short distances and the location of objects using UWB (ultra-wideband) technology. It now works with a delay of one millisecond and requires so little power that a device can last for two years on one button cell.
Accurate to within a few centimeters
UWB can be used, for example, for navigation inside very large buildings, for locating products in huge warehouses, or for communication between mobile devices - Apple and Samsung have already installed corresponding transmitting and receiving units in their latest top models. However, these are not yet based on the new technology.
Because it is more precise, UWB is considered a competitor for WLAN, Bluetooth and NFC. Two smartphones equipped with it can, for example, locate and communicate with each other to within a few centimeters. UWB systems typically consist of two main components: A small tracking device called a tag, which can be attached to an object, and a series of devices that act as receivers. They are installed at various locations in the environment to detect the tag's radio signals.
From many signals becomes one
In today's UWB tracking, the tag sends signals to all receivers. These send it back to the tag. The distances between the tag and each receiver are calculated from the propagation times of the signals. From this, the tag's position can be determined using triangulation. The problem with this process, according to Bharadia, is that it involves many signal exchanges.
"That makes the system slow. It's not scalable and doesn't provide 3D localization," Bharadia says. His modified system simply sends a buzz signal to all receivers, which send it back. His team modified the receivers so that they can calculate the exact position of the tag from it, and in three dimensions. It will be used in virtual reality games, to dynamically determine the position of athletes during a game and in robots for healthcare.
