Ultra-wideband and indoor localization

Abstract

Indoor localization technology is completing a generational shift, improving from meter to near-centimeter level accuracy, and shifting research priorities from improving accuracy to building scalable, deployable systems. Leading this shift are ultra-wideband (UWB) RF solutions that have demonstrated their potential for very high accuracy indoor localization. This talk will explore how and why UWB technologies have driven many of the recent advancements in wireless localization. It will then explore how non-traditional UWB designs can solve two key upcoming challenges: scaling up in number (to thousands of localized devices) and down in power (to microwatt scale power budgets). Enabling these opportunities requires decoupling localization from data transmission and rethinking how we utilize the UWB channel from the ground up.