UC explores UWB technology for wireless location tracking system to greatly enhance AR/VR experience

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(XR Navigation Network 2023年12月28日）美国加利福尼亚大学圣迭戈分校和日本大阪大学的工程师们开发了一项有望令XR体验更顺畅、更无缝的全新定位技术。

It is stated that the described technology consists of an ASSET positioning system and uses wireless signals to track physical objects with centimeter-level accuracy in real time and then generates a virtual representation of the object. Applications of this technology range from enhancing virtual gaming experiences to improving workplace safety, among others.

现有的定位方法存在很大的局限性。例如，大多数XR应用程序使用摄像头来定位对象，但基于摄像头的方法在具有视觉障碍、快速变化的环境或光线条件差的高动态场景中并不可靠。

Meanwhile, wireless technologies such as WiFi and low-power Bluetooth often fail to provide the required accuracy, while ultra-wideband UWB technology involves complex setup and configuration.

To address this problem, a new ASSET localization system has been developed at the University of California, San Diego and Osaka University. The team notes that it overcomes the limitations of the above solutions by providing precise real-time object localization with centimeter-level accuracy even in dynamic and poorly lit environments. In addition, the system is packaged in an easy-to-deploy and compact module measuring one meter.

The researchers built their system by utilizing the energy of wireless signals below the 6ghz band. The team explains, "Unlike camera-based methods, said wireless signals are less affected by visual obstacles and continue to work even in non-line-of-sight conditions."

The team's proposed system uses wireless signals to pinpoint battery-powered ultrawideband tags attached to objects. It consists of two main components: a UWB tag for transmitting the localization beacon signals.

Another component is a positioning module equipped with six time- and phase-synchronized ultra-wideband receivers to receive the beacon signal. As the signal propagates, it arrives at each receiver at slightly different phases and times, and the system combines the relevant differences in an ingenious way to accurately measure the position of the tag in two-dimensional space.

In their tests, the researchers used everyday objects to play life-size chess. They transformed mugs with off-the-shelf ultra-wideband tags, thus turning them into virtual chess pieces. As the pieces moved across the table, the system was able to smoothly track their movements in real time with centimeter-level accuracy.

The researchers noted, "We found that our system achieves an accuracy of 90% in dynamic scenes, which is at least eight times better than state-of-the-art localization systems."

The team is currently refining the system, and next steps include improving the PCB design to make the system more robust, reducing the number of receivers to improve energy efficiency, and adding antennas along the vertical axis to support full3DPositioning.