U-blox releases explorer kits for high-precision indoor positioning

June 29, 2021  - By
Photo: U-blox
Photo: U-blox

Leveraging Bluetooth direction finding technology, the solutions demonstrate sub-meter level position accuracy for a variety of industrial and consumer applications

Photo: U-blox

Photo: U-blox

U-blox has released two explorer kits for product developers to evaluate the potential of Bluetooth direction finding and high-precision indoor positioning. Designed for low power consumption, simple deployment, and low cost of ownership, the u-blox XPLR-AOA-1 and XPLR-AOA-2 explorer kits will test the technology’s capabilities to enable a variety of applications including access control, collision detection, smart appliances, indoor positioning and asset tracking.

Recognizing the growing demand for more accurate indoor positioning solutions, the Bluetooth special interest group (SIG) released Bluetooth direction finding, offering a major improvement over previous receiver signal strength indicator (RSSI)-based solutions.

Bluetooth direction finding makes it possible to determine the direction that radio signals travel from a mobile tag to one or several fixed anchor points. Using angle-of-arrival (AoA) technology, anchor points comprising antenna arrays connected to Bluetooth receivers can detect the direction, or angle, to the mobile tag, which transmits a Bluetooth signal. When a constellation of such multi-antenna anchors is deployed, AoA technology can be used to triangulate the precise location of a mobile device or tag.

The u-blox XPLR-AOA-1 and XPLR-AOA-2 explorer kits showcase one of the first complete Bluetooth-based tracking solutions – from the tag to the cloud – to reliably offer sub-meter-level accuracy in indoor environments.

About the Author: Tracy Cozzens

Senior Editor Tracy Cozzens joined GPS World magazine in 2006. She also is editor of GPS World’s newsletters and the sister website Geospatial Solutions. She has worked in government, for non-profits, and in corporate communications, editing a variety of publications for audiences ranging from federal government contractors to teachers.