Australian autonomous systems outfit Advanced Navigation has successfully demonstrated a new hybrid system for super accurate navigation in GPS-denied environments.
The company says the demonstration proves that its new “software-fused inertial-centered architecture” is now the defining standard for autonomy.
“GPS is disturbingly vulnerable to challenging environments, harsh weather conditions and cyberattacks with rising threats of jamming and spoofing,” said Advanced Navigation chief executive and co-founder Chris Shaw.
“The question isn’t if GPS will fail, but when. Operators need to build resilience now. This hybrid solution is designed with adaptability and reliability in mind,” he said.
Mr Shaw said while other companies focused on individual components, Advanced Navigation had championed a layered, inertial-centered, multi-sensor architecture that is fused together by intelligent software.
The Advanced Navigation approach could be more easily updated or modified to adapt to harsh environments or specific mission requirements than other contemporary systems.
The LVS is a terrestrial adaptation of LUNA (Laser Unit for Navigation Aid), a space-grade navigation technology that was developed for autonomous lunar landings.
LUNA enables reliable navigation in the difficult environment of space by providing precise three-dimensional velocity and altitude information relative to the Moon’s surface.
The result of several years of research and development, LUNA is set to be demonstrated aboard Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C moon lander as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.
By leveraging the engineering insights gained from LUNA, LVS adapts space technology into an Earth-ready system for terrestrial GNSS-denied navigation.
Relying on a single sensor technology such as a GPS system is no longer viable, the company said. Missions increasingly take place in GPS-denied, electromagnetically noisy, and physically complex settings where traditional systems falter.
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