flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Researchers increase GPS precision to centimeter-accurate

BIM and Information Technology

Researchers increase GPS precision to centimeter-accurate

A new startup is working with Samsung to develop a snap-on accessory for centimeter-accurate global positioning.


By BD+C Staff | July 6, 2015
Researchers increase GPS precision to centimeter-accurate

Though centimeter-accurate positioning systems are already used in fields such as geology, surveying, and mapping, the devices have always been too large and costly. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Thanks to researchers in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, unmanned aerial vehicles can soon deliver packages to a specific spot on a customer’s back porch.

According to Phys.org, the new centimeter-accurate GPS system “could transform virtual reality and mobile devices.”

Though centimeter-accurate positioning systems are already used in fields such as geology, surveying, and mapping, the devices have always been too large and costly. Now, this precision can soon be found with the help of the average mobile phone.

Todd Humphreys, Assistant Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, worked with a student to establish a startup, Radiosense, to further develop the technology.

Phys.org reports that Humphreys and his team are “working with Samsung to develop a snap-on accessory that will tell smartphones, tablets, and virtual reality headsets their precise position and orientation.”

Related Stories

BIM and Information Technology | Jan 29, 2015

Lego X by Gravity elevates the toy to a digital modeling kit

With the Lego X system, users can transfer the forms they’ve created with legos into real-time digital files.

BIM and Information Technology | Jan 28, 2015

5 crucial lessons from moving BIM/VDC workflows to the cloud

Early adopters of cloud-based model collaboration share what they learned in overcoming their toughest hurdles.

Mixed-Use | Jan 26, 2015

MVRDV designs twisty skyscraper to grace Vienna's skyline

The twist maximizes floor space and decreases the amount of shadows the building will cast on the surrounding area.

| Jan 21, 2015

Schneider Electric and Autodesk begin collaboration on building lifecycle management

Schneider Electric has announced the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding, which states that Schneider Electric and Autodesk plan to collaborate to enhance current practices for building lifecycle management based on BIM.

| Jan 8, 2015

Microsoft shutters classic clipart gallery: Reaction from a graphic designer

Microsoft shut down its tried-and-true clipart gallery, ridding the world not only of a trope of graphic design, but a nostalgic piece of digital design history, writes HDR's Dylan Coonrad.

| Jan 7, 2015

How you can help improve the way building information is shared

PDFs are the de facto format for digital construction documentation. Yet, there is no set standard for how to produce PDFs for a project, writes Skanska's Kyle Hughes.

| Dec 29, 2014

Startup Solarbox London turns phone booths into quick-charge stations [BD+C's 2014 Great Solutions Report]

About 8,000 of London’s famous red telephone boxes sit unused in warehouses, orphans of the digital age. Two entrepreneurs plan to convert them into charging stations for mobile devices. Their invention was named a 2014 Great Solution by the editors of Building Design+Construction.

| Dec 29, 2014

Hard hat equipped with smartglass technology could enhance job site management [BD+C's 2014 Great Solutions Report]

Smart Helmet is equipped with an array of cameras that provides 360-degree vision through its glass visor, even in low light. It was named a 2014 Great Solution by the editors of Building Design+Construction.

| Dec 29, 2014

New data-gathering tool for retail designers [BD+C's 2014 Great Solutions Report]

Beacon technology personalizes smartphone messaging, creating a new information resource for store designers. It was named a 2014 Great Solution by the editors of Building Design+Construction.

| Dec 29, 2014

Wearable job site management system allows contractors to handle deficiencies with subtle hand and finger gestures [BD+C's 2014 Great Solutions Report]

Technology combines a smartglass visual device with a motion-sensing armband to simplify field management work. The innovation was named a 2014 Great Solution by the editors of Building Design+Construction. 

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




Great Solutions

41 Great Solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors

AI ChatBots, ambient computing, floating MRIs, low-carbon cement, sunshine on demand, next-generation top-down construction. These and 35 other innovations make up our 2024 Great Solutions Report, which highlights fresh ideas and innovations from leading architecture, engineering, and construction firms.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021