【China Startup】Carving out a path to indoor positioning

2021-02-13 CGTN

While most smartphones today have a GPS function to help users find their locations, it's easily affected by weak signals - especially indoors or, worse, in an underground parking lot.

This episode of China Startup will take you to the Chinese company Shitu, which successfully developed a unique magnetic positioning technology to solve that problem.


Business incubator

「An old horse can find the way」 is a traditional Chinese idiom – it means that experienced people can always figure out directions. Today, things have certainly changed as the world grows larger and more complicated. But GPS technology can take us to almost every corner of the world without a map.

There's a problem, though, when there's no GPS signal, especially indoors or underground – and that's where Shitu comes in to help.

Shitu, also listed as Ubirouting, considers itself more of a team than a tech company. Founded by mobile network researcher Huang Qin in 2013, the four-man startup moved from a rented apartment to a business incubator at the Peking University Science Park just a few weeks ago. Many angel investors have so far shown keen interest in Shitu.

「People stay indoors almost 80% of time, but there are no indoor location-based services available until now - we don't think that's reasonable,」 Huang said.

As CCTV toured the incubator, Huang walked around the office with his smartphone in his hand, collecting data and testing a new product – a geomagnetic positioning system that allowed him to map desks.


Indoor positioning technologies

There are multiple indoor positioning technologies that exist already, but they more or less fall into two categories: wi-fi and Bluetooth-based.

The most popular existing software is the wi-fi-based system (WPS). The technology uses wireless access points and is only as effective as the intensity of the received signals. Like GPS, this technique is impossible if the area is not covered by wi-fi.

A more recent alternative to the wi-fi-based system – and also quite promising – is the Bluetooth-based system. Like its name implies, it uses Bluetooth signals to provide an indoor proximity solution.


The two popular models, however, rely on wireless infrastructures within a building – which aren't always there.

With a completely different approach, Shitu is using magnetism positioning – and it's relatively new to the scene. It cleverly uses the earth's magnetism, and it doesn't require the installation of wireless signal emitters.


Growing pressures

Although Shitu's team successfully developed the core technology by themselves, there are still many obstacles standing in front of them.

The potential for indoor positioning systems is quickly growing thin. Global tech giants such as Google, Apple, and Microsoft are already competing for a market share.


Also, a Finnish startup called Indoor Atlas, the current industry leader in magnetism positioning, received a $10 million investment from tech giant Baidu, China's largest search engine company, to enhance Baidu Map's indoor navigation capacity.

「We believe that our technology is more advanced (than Indoor Atlas) and can achieve better performance,」 said Huang.


Shitu is still a small startup with only four employees. With all members from a technology background, it is struggling to build up more of a team.

「We face more challenges not only in products, but also in management,」 Huang said.「But we know where our core competence is.」


相關焦點

  • 英語詞彙辨析:outdoor,outdoors,out of doors
    新東方網>英語>英語學習>語法詞彙>詞彙指導>正文英語詞彙辨析:outdoor,outdoors,out of doors 2012-12-18 15:21 來源:可可英語 作者:
  • Belt, Road a path to financial integration
    If we define financial integration as enhancing capital mobility across borders, can we find indications that the Belt and Road Initiative will pave a path in that direction?
  • Out of the loop?
    are a few articles that might help those who are out of the loop.「I』ve been out of the loop really.Co-host Joe Scarborough said: 「She’s out of the loop. She’s in none of the key meetings. It’s bad that a spokesperson in the White House actually goes out and makes things up.」
  • Pulling their hair out 焦慮
    They are not starting to pull their hair out, metaphorically speaking.「Pull one’s hair out」 is the idiom in question here.
  • Education in China
    In China, despite deeply ingrained reverence for traditional institutions, the trend is also beginning to catch on.
  • 您知道fork out for sth是什麼意思嗎?
    1、The path forks at the bottom of the hill.小徑在山丘腳下分岔。這句話中forks是fork的第三人稱單數,意思是分岔、岔開兩條分支,需要注意的是這個意思不用於進行時。2、Fork right after the bridge.過橋後走右邊那條岔路。這句話中fork的意思是走岔路中的一條。
  • CPC to actively, prudently carry out political structural...
    BEIJING -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) will actively yet prudently carry out the political structural reform, Hu Jintao, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee
  • The Truth About China in 2021 (and Beyond)
    Whether looking out onto theForbidden City from Jingshan Park, exploring the ancient hutong water houses around Houhai Lake or taking a day trip to the
  • China issues plan on building rule of law
    The plan calls for efforts to resolutely adhere to the path of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics.
  • Full Text: China's Space Activities in 2016
    It has opened up a path of self-reliance and independent innovation, and has created the spirit of China's space industry.
  • How To Figure Out What Turns You On
    If so, you're on the right track to figuring out what turns you on.If you're feeling nervous about trying out your fantasy, talking about the fantasy out loud can be more than enoughof a turn-on.
  • VASPKIT 1.2 支持全晶系K-Path自動生成
    高通量生成能帶圖pymatgen深入分析能帶結構(五)-魔角石墨烯的構建與其能帶結構淺析深入分析能帶結構(六)-對贗原子做投影,電子化合物(下)深入分析能帶結構(七)-VASPKIT計算有效質量深入分析能帶結構(八)-缺陷態能帶結構VASPKIT 1.2版本之前,已經支持1D,2D,3D(除三斜晶系之外) 的K-path