GPS-Free Positioning

NREC is developing MINT (Micro-Inertial Navigation Technology), a wearable navigation and localization aid.

MINT locates a person by keeping track of his or her footsteps. No satellites or other external references are needed; instead, it uses shoe-mounted, miniaturized radar and inertial measurement units (IMUs). MINT is intended for places where GPS isn’t available: inside buildings, underground, and beneath the tree canopy in forested areas.

MINT is being developed in cooperation with Carnegie Mellon’s Electrical and Computer Engineering department and is sponsored by DARPA.