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What’s new: More efforts to use Earth’s magnetic field to navigate. This time leveraging AI.
Why it’s important: Navigating this way does not rely on RF signals that could become unavailable. And no additional infrastructure is required.
What else to know:
- Such systems have a lot of potential, although they don’t include time/timing information. And, as far as we know, there has been no adversarial testing.
- Magnetic systems are, for the most part, still developmental – though we understand AstraNav has had paying clients for several years.
- We like that the title of the article says “can help” rather than touting it as a complete solution.
GPS Is Vulnerable to Attack. Magnetic Navigation Can Help
Signals from the global navigation satellite system can be jammed and spoofed, so a Google spinout is working on an alternative positioning and navigation system that uses the Earth’s magnetic field.
Far above your head, constellations of satellites are working constantly to provide the positioning, navigation, and timing systems that quietly run modern life. Known as the global navigation satellite system, or GNSS, signals from these satellites provide the foundation for mobile networks, energy grids, the internet, and GPS. And increasingly, their dependability is under threat.
GPS signals can be jammed—deliberately drowned out with other powerful radio signals—and spoofed, where erroneous signals are released to fool positioning systems. GPS interference has been documented in Ukraine, the Middle East, and the South China Sea.
