This micro-ANS chip is one of five inventions DARPA is working on to help improve or replace GPS

GPS has become such an integral part of modern technology, it is hard to imagine how most of it would work if this revolutionary technology wasn’t around. It seems like everything has GPS chips nowadays: cars, boats, trains, planes, phones and watches to name a few.

But all technology has limitations, and GPS is no exception. Signals cannot be received underground, underwater or inside buildings. The signals are significantly degraded during solar storms and are susceptible to jamming and spoofing, making GPS navigation a little dangerous for military purposes.

To address this, DARPA has been researching new ways to provide real-time positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) information to replace GPS. A lot of these innovations are super technical and still in the experimental phase, but they seem pretty cool.

DARPA’s current PNT portfolio includes five programs, focused wholly or in part on PNT-related technology: read more

Garmin has, apparently, released a study showing that a staggering amount of people are utterly unable to read a paper map. While I cannot find the actual research from Garmin, several websites (like this and this) have reported that more than one third (39%) of people surveyed did not know how to navigate using a ‘traditional’ map and need guided step-by-step directions. One in 10 (16%) said they relied heavily on a GPS device of some kind and nearly half of the people surveyed (40%) said they never updated their GPS devices.

Unsurprisingly, the same study reported that about 40% of people wouldn’t openly admit when they get lost due to embarrassment, and nearly a third refuse to seek help or ask for directions. The study indicated that men are more likely than women to refuse to seek help (27% more to be exact) and that arguments over driving directions is a lot more common than you might think–roughly 33% said they regularly had arguments with their partner about directions. read more

GPS trackers, like this Linxup LPVAS1 OBD Real-Time GPS Vehicle Tracking System Device can be purchased by anyone.

Normally, I wouldn’t include a legal article on the blog, but since we’ve posted about GPS trackers in the past, it seemed appropriate. A new law has been signed into effect in New York today making it a Class B misdemeanor to use GPS to track someone’s vehicle or movements with the intent to harm and without their permission. Under this law, police can now prosecute without requiring the victim to press charges. As GPS trackers of all types, sizes and prices are becoming extremely common, I’m not incredibly surprised to see legislation starting to finally catch up. What’s actually surprising is that it took this long.

read more

The GPS world doesn’t have a shortage of ways to track just about anything—cars, freight, keys, pets and even people. GTX is introducing one of the stranger ways to track people—through their shoes. Their product, SmartSole, is a GPS tracker embedded in a removable insole that can fit in just about any shoe. According to their press release, it’s designed to help track children, elderly and at-risk patients. The sole is waterproof and can be controlled through a smartphone, computer or tablet. It comes with a rechargeable battery which, they claim, only has to be recharged every few days—a rather gross concept as you’d have to pull out your smelly insole and place it on a Qi charger every few days. read more