IOP Business Innovation Award winner: Focal Point Positioning

Supercorrelation is a revolutionary technology that solves a fundamental weakness in current global navigation satellite systems (GNSS). It improves the accuracy, sensitivity and security of any GNSS device, while saving hardware costs for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and reducing energy consumption, providing a step change in GNSS performance.

In cities, GNSS signals reflect from buildings, causing every GNSS device, from cars to mobiles to wearables, to suffer from inaccuracies. This is the reason that the blue dot on Google Maps can sometimes be in the wrong place and why your Uber drivers sometimes cannot find you.

Focal Point Positioning’s technology has already been licensed by u-blox, the largest chipset designer in Europe, and further advanced trialling and commercial discussions are taking place with leading global smartphone and automotive OEMs. In addition, a new strategic investment and partnership with General Motors has been announced this month.

Supercorrelation is the only consumer-grade product in the market capable of these unique performance characteristics, addressing the sensitivity and accuracy required by 21st century demand. Supercorrelation can measure the direction of incoming signals through software signal processing alone, without the need for costly antennas and further infrastructure. It can instantly detect fake signals from spoofers, ignoring these signals, and pinpointing where the signal is coming from. It can also recognise and discard reflected signals that otherwise corrupt an accurate positioning calculation. As a result, supercorrelation removes the biggest sources of error in urban environments, allowing metre-level positioning to be maintained on consumer devices in the most difficult of signal environments. Increased positioning accuracy can be achieved on smartwatches and other fitness devices without causing unnecessary battery drain to the user.