Indoor positioning systems (IPS) is a term confined to indoor positioning presented on mobile/cell phones, or the like, to create added value services, says Dr Peter Harrop, chairman, IDTechEx.
For example, the derivatives of smartphones taking the form of glasses or eyepieces will have the ability to superimpose all manner of information across the items being viewed. Thanks to the work of US companies APX Labs, Vuzix and others, a service engineer might see “preventative maintenance due now” superimposed on their view of a machine in a factory.
Position is known in 3D thanks to IPS often combined with realtime locating systems (RTLS) by which second generation RFID tags are interrogated by several readers at a time to give location.
That technology is usually different from IPS which seeks ubiquity before accuracy and therefore will use known location of Bluetooth and WiFi emitters and dead reckoning (inertial navigation) using the gyroscope, barometer and accelerometer in the typical smart phone.
Linking RTLS and IPS gives powerful facilities that can revert to satellite navigation outdoors when the phone, smart glasses or whatever are outdoors. From consumers to emergency services and even surgeons, the uses will be many and varied. IDTechEx assesses that a $10-billion addressable market awaits.
Whereas IPS is only now starting to be widely deployed commercially, Hewlett Packard is servicing an RTLS order for $543-million from the US veterans’ hospital group with IBM the unsuccessful bidder. This order was 100 times the size of the previous record order for RTLS. Indeed, IDTechEx forecasts $4,8-billion in RTLS sales worldwide in 2024.
Rather different large companies are clashing over IPS, such as Apple, Microsoft Sony and Google because it will be a source of competitive advantage and of extra earning streams in the mobile phone and similar industries.
They also foresee it in their planned smart watches. RTLS is even finding its way into wearable electronics having started with the ubiquitous pendants that track hospital staff and give their co-ordinates when they press the button for assistance.
Cadi Scientific of Singapore and Harmonic Group of South Africa are new RTLS suppliers alongside US companies RF Technologies, Zebra Technologies and other incumbents.