Alphabet spinoff SandboxAQ is developing a quantum navigation system for the US Air Force (USAF) to complement the Global Positioning System (GPS).
The USAF-funded system is being designed to assist GPS in degraded, contested, or denied environments where the system could lose precision.
The US-based GPS faces challenges such as weak signals due to obstacles, excessive noise, poor signal-to-noise ratio, and jamming and spoofing by adversaries.
Magnetic Field Navigation
The system being developed by SandboxAQ uses the Earth’s magnetic field as a signal similar to how birds navigate specific migratory patterns.
The system fuses quantum sensors to measure the magnetic field and artificial intelligence to filter out noise and improve signal processing.
“The quantum sensors utilized in the project are designed to be highly responsive to alterations in electric and magnetic fields,” the USAF stated.
“AI systems are integrated to identify and eliminate disturbances like vibrations and other noise from aircraft and vehicles to enhance signal processing speed and accuracy.
This approach ensures precise data collection and analysis by collecting operational environment data.”
