Misplacing a device is no big deal when you use apps like Find Hub and Find My to locate lost items. Typically, these systems locate a device within a meter by collecting data from at least four satellites. New technology developed at MSU can pinpoint locations even more precisely—down to 500 micrometers or less. That’s as small as a grain of sugar.
Jeffrey Nanzer, MSU Research Foundation Distinguished Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Michigan State, leads a team working on coordination technology that enables cooperation between physically separate wireless systems at levels that were previously not achievable. They use the same types of signals already in use, but what’s different is how they tap into the power of more antennas using what are called distributed arrays.
Distributed arrays make a collection of separate systems work like one single large system. In addition to more precise geolocation, distributed arrays can synchronize component systems faster. Current GPS aligns separate systems within one-billionth of a second. Distributed arrays are 1,000 times faster, synchronizing systems within one-trillionth of a second.
Enhancing wireless electromagnetic systems with distributed arrays enables performance of the whole that is significantly greater than the sum of the parts. It creates a gain that is proportional to the number of elements squared, so the signal gain increases far more rapidly than what you would get without signals synchronized so precisely and working in tandem.
Distributed array technology can be used to improve wireless communications, satellite remote sensing of the earth, navigation, and any application where high-accuracy wireless coordination between electronic systems is needed.
To learn more about Nanzer’s work, visit:
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