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Oppo is working on a new navigation algorithm that is accurate up to a meter

Written by Hamza Zakir ·  49 sec read >

Oppo has been quietly working on an innovative navigation algorithm that will solve all your path-finding woes by delivering accuracy of up to a meter without using any additional equipment. Termed Real Time Kinematic (RTK), the navigation technology aims to help individuals in their daily travel.

Oppo is working closely with China Mobile to implement the technology, which in turn is working on deploying the ground-based system and 5G towers. RTK essentially works by collecting all the information from the GPS, the cell towers, all of the sensors inside the phone including the accelerometer, gyroscope and even the antennas of the handset. The algorithm also works against interference from other equipment.

As of now, up to 1-meter accuracy is something that can be achieved only by using professional equipment used for surveillance and mapping. Oppo and China Mobile believe that the tech will be commercially available starting next year in China.

According to a report by Zhuanlan, this technology was mainly used for surveying and mapping in the past and it required special equipment. But now, thanks to Oppo’s special algorithm, accurate location can be determined using the data collected by a smartphone.

It is not entirely clear whether the technology will be implemented outside China or not. If that is indeed something Oppo and China Mobile are considering, it would be interesting to see how it gets implemented.

Written by Hamza Zakir
Platonist. Humanist. Unusually edgy sometimes. Profile