This week, we focused on building the foundations of our approach across all categories. We have initial algorithms in place for sensor fusion from sensors and visual positioning fixes as well as a pipeline to extract features to produce a global position fix from the camera. On the hardware side, we have purchased all parts except from the mechanism that would allow the camera to rotate, and are awaiting their arrival. We are working on the design presentation next week, and are also planning to gather our first data for offline testing of visual feature registration this week while the weather is amenable to doing so.
A: Our celestial positioning system improves safety by providing an alternative navigation method in GPS-denied environments, where loss of positioning could lead to crashes or mission failure. By maintaining reliable localization for drones or autonomous systems, the design reduces risks to people, property, and surrounding infrastructure.
B: Our system addresses important social factors by increasing accessibility to reliable positioning technology independent of GPS infrastructure. Many existing navigation solutions rely heavily on satellite connectivity, which can be unreliable or unavailable in remote regions, wilderness environments, or during infrastructure outages. By providing an alternative positioning method using only onboard sensors and passive observation of celestial features, our system enables individuals and communities to maintain situational awareness even when conventional systems fail.
C: The system is being constructed with low-cost mass-production in mind. All components are off-the-shelf and widely available. The camera is cheaper by several orders of magnitude than those used on aerial systems historically for celestial positioning. The Raspberry Pi provides no hardware acceleration, and is thus easily swappable for other processors which meet the memory restrictions. The sensor suite is also non-specific to the module itself and can be swapped for more expensive or cheaper sensors, potentially at the cost of performance if cheaper.
A was written by Rachel, B was written by Eddie and C was written by Julius.