Description:

During the last two years of research performed in the COSMIC lab (University of Genoa), an indoor real-time localization system (RLTS) using wireless sensor networks has been implemented.

A RLTS consists of anchor nodes (i.e. nodes with fixed and known locations), beacon nodes and a location engine: generally the beacon node to be localized sends a packet which is captured from some anchor nodes, the anchor nodes forward the information extracted from the packet to the location engine for the estimation of the position of the transmitting beacon node.

The algorithm achieves beacon node localization accuracy of a few meters in indoor environments, in particular:

A) less than 30 cm by using Ultra Wide Band (UWB) radio devices.

B) 3-5 m (sector accuracy) by using Bluetooth Smart radio devices

The algorithm is based on two steps: in the first step, it computes the ranging between anchor nodes and beacon node, in the second one, the algorithm estimates the beacon node position.

The aim of the project is realizing a Real Time Location System (RTLS) for emergency management by using a Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) inside the smart phone or dedicated platform. The challenge is to develop a RTLS which can be able to transmit an emergency alarm in case of “ lone worker/patient man down”. The main scenario is the indoor environment where the Global Positioning System (GPS) does not work.

Duration: 2-3 months

Proponent Company: Smart Track s.r.l.