GPS World

Tag: drone navigation

  • NorthStrive acquires patented GPS-denied autonomous drone navigation tech option

    NorthStrive acquires patented GPS-denied autonomous drone navigation tech option

    Patented software visual-inertial cooperative navigation technology has potential to target defense, counter-drone (C-UAS), electronic warfare, and autonomous unmanned aircraft systems markets

    NorthStrive Defense Tech LLC has secured a license option in connection with a proprietary U.S. patented autonomous navigation technology through an exclusive option agreement with a corporation.

    The technology is designed to enable autonomous positioning and navigation for unmanned aircraft systems and drones operating in GPS-jammed, GPS-spoofed and GPS-denied environments, addressing a core capability gap identified by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and allied defense programs worldwide.

    NorthStrive Defense Tech LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of PMGC Holdings Inc.

    The option agreement provides NorthStrive Defense Tech with an exclusive option, within the aerospace and defense technologies field, to obtain an exclusive license as to certain patent rights for U.S. Patent No. 12,277,716 B2, covering a cooperative navigation system for unmanned aircraft systems, also known as drones, operating in GPS-denied and GPS-degraded environments.

    The option is also for a non-exclusive license in the field as to certain know-how connected to these patent rights, as further set in the option agreement. On NorthStrive Defense Tech’s exercise of this option, the parties will enter into negotiations for a definitive license agreement.

    The technology has the potential to enable drones to navigate accurately without GPS by using onboard cameras and inertial sensors to estimate position relative to the local environment. The approach applies visual-inertial odometry (VIO) and sensor-fusion techniques, including an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) for real-time state estimation and cooperative multi-vehicle data sharing, which together represent foundational building blocks of next-generation autonomous systems.

    When multiple drones operate, they share positional data in real time to collectively improve each vehicle’s accuracy, with performance formally evaluated under real-world GPS-denied conditions.

    GPS-denied navigation has emerged as one of the most urgent challenges in modern drone operations. Conflicts in recent years have demonstrated that GPS signals cannot be relied upon in contested environments, where jamming and spoofing are routinely deployed to disable unmanned systems.

    Vulnerabilities in GNSS signals have made anti-jamming and anti-spoofing capabilities a top priority within U.S. defense modernization programs, the Pentagon, the DoD and allied NATO forces. That operational reality has driven substantial investment across the defense sector, with the GPS-denied drone navigation market projected to grow at a CAGR of 31.7% through 2030, according to Technavio.

    Key potential capabilities include:

    • Vision and inertial-based navigation requiring no GPS signal (visual-inertial odometry / VIO with Extended Kalman Filter (EKF)-based state estimation)
    • Cooperative swarm localization through inter-vehicle range sharing, a foundational capability for drone swarm and counter-drone (C-UAS) operations
    • Scalable architecture supporting operations from individual drones to full swarms, with an architecture positioned for integration with AI-enabled autonomous systems
    • Technology formally evaluated for accuracy and performance under real-world GPS-denied conditions.

    The system’s modular design keeps flight-critical estimation onboard each drone while requiring minimal data exchange between vehicles, making it practical for contested environments where communications bandwidth is limited or actively degraded.

  • DJI’s new Mavic 3 has longer flight time, obstacle sensing

    DJI’s new Mavic 3 has longer flight time, obstacle sensing

    DJI Mavic 3 has better sensor, dual-camera system, omnidirectional obstacle sensing, smarter flight modes and longer flight times

    Mavic 3 drone. (Image: DJI)
    Mavic 3 drone. (Image: DJI)

    The new DJI Mavic 3 is an update of the company’s folding camera drone, providing comprehensive improvement and boosting performance for aerial photography.

    The Mavic 3 has improved navigation and obstacle sensing systems. A powerful positioning algorithm improves hovering precision with signals from GPS, GLONASS and BeiDou satellites. This enables Mavic 3 to lock onto multiple satellite signals faster. The increased positioning precision also makes the drone less likely to drift in the air and more stable when shooting long exposures and time lapses.

    For its obstacle sensing system, Advanced Pilot Assistance System (APAS) 5.0 combines inputs from six fish-eye vision sensors and two wide-angle sensors, which seamlessly and continuously sense obstacles in all directions and plan safe flight routes to avoid them, even in complicated environments.

    The obstacle-sensing system also enables more intuitive subject tracking with the upgraded ActiveTrack 5.0. Previous iterations of ActiveTrack enabled the camera to follow a subject as it moved directly toward and away from the drone while remaining largely stationary as well as fly alongside a moving subject. ActiveTrack 5.0 allows Mavic 3 to move with the subject as it moves forward, backward, left, right and diagonally, and fly alongside as well as around a moving subject.

    If the subject moves too fast and temporarily goes out of frame, visual sensors on the aircraft will continue to track and frame the subject intelligently and pick it back up when it reappears. These new directions enable much more fluid and diverse drone and camera movement while using ActiveTrack.

    Other safety features include geofencing, which alerts drone pilots when they fly near sensitive locations; altitude limits to ensure pilots are aware of altitude restrictions; and the AeroScope Remote ID system that allows authorities to identify and monitor airborne drones in sensitive locations.

    Mavic 3’s integrated AirSense system, first widely introduced in DJI Air 2S, warns drone pilots of nearby airplanes and helicopters transmitting ADS-B signals, so they can quickly fly to a safer location.

    Hasselblad camera

    Mavic 3 has a 4/3 CMOS Hasselblad camera and 28x hybrid zoom camera. Omnidirectional obstacle sensors have a 200-meter range, and redesigned batteries provide up to 46 minutes of flight time.

    Upgraded hardware and software can process 5.1K video at 50 frames per second and support 4K/120 fps for high-quality results for slow-motion footage. An enhanced Mavic 3 Cine edition offers Apple ProRes 422 HQ encoding for richer video processing, with an internal 1TB SSD onboard for high-speed data storage.

    DJI Mavic 3’s customized L2D-20c aerial camera embeds a professional-grade 4/3 CMOS sensor with a 24 mm prime lens in a sleek and compact form. Rigorous Hasselblad standards for hardware performance and software algorithms allow it to shoot 20-MP still images in 12-bit RAW format and videos in 5.1 K at 50 fps and 4 K at 120 fps. The higher video definition creates smoother footage and more generous cropping possibilities and allows for slow-motion video at 120 fps.

    The larger image sensor gives Mavic 3 higher video resolution and dynamic range and more effectively suppresses noise in low-light environments. A native dynamic range of 12.8 stops helps retain more details in highlights and shadows, preserving rich visual information with a greater sense of depth and elevating imagery to a professional level. An adjustable aperture of f/2.8-f/11 is available to meet the needs of aerial photographers in a wide variety of lighting scenarios to get sharper and clearer images.