NAiSE: precise indoor navigation for vehicles, people and objects
The ESA BIC Hessen & Baden-Württemberg start-up company NAiSE has developed a smart indoor navigation system which extend seamlessly navigation and localisation from outside to inside in closed buildings. Meet them at the 10th ESA Investment Forum in ESOC 31 January 2019.
In open air we are used to mobile map services like Google Maps for orientation, but inside buildings where most people spend a great deal of their time there is no satellite-based navigation (satnav) coverage.
NAiSE extends the outdoor standard satnav services and makes it usable inside buildings, in industry storage areas, in shopping centres etc.
Autonomous intralogistics solution
The high-tech startup NAiSE develops systems for autonomous intralogistics in the context of Industry 4.0.
The Stuttgart technology startup NAiSE develops and sells their hardware/software solution that enable the full coverage by use of satnav-simulated signals within the buildings. Their ease-of-use navigation devices and the full compatibility with smartphones as well as the seamless transition from outside to inside offer advantages for a wide variety of industrial use, in traffic engineering or for retail.
The startup was founded in 2017 and is funded by the EXIST funding program of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) and the European Social Fund (ESF).
NAiSE won the 3rd prise in Hessen, Germany, in the European Satellite Navigation Competition 2017 and is now supported by ESA BIC Darmstadt where they develop their indoor navigation system.
The NAiSE system is a precise positioning system and at the same time a robust communication network.
Indoor 3D-localization with 5 cm accuracy in real-time
Nowadays intralogistics has two different problems: opacity and inflexibility. Processes are either done manually, which leads to redundancy, or they are done with the help of mobile robots that are bound to fixed lanes.
“Our indoor navigation system uses hardware and software to solve both of these problems,” explained Robert Libert, NAiSE co-founder and COO.
“The hardware provides 3D-localization with up to 5 cm accuracy in real-time, while the software enables Big-Data analytics as well as the navigation of all participants with the help of swarm intelligence and machine learning.
“Additionally, we control Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) directly, allowing us a maximum of autonomy and flexibility with a future-proof system. This enables us to achieve our vision of autonomous intralogistics, where all processes for all participants (staff, AGVs, mobile robots, forklifts, drones and assets) are transparent and flexible through comprehensive navigation and coordination. “
Advanced in-door navigation and control
The transceivers located inside the building to create the satnav-simulated signals determine their positions autonomously and shares this info between them through a direct wireless communication network.
Thanks to this direct communication between all the transceivers time-sensitive and accurate operations such as coordinating a whole AGV-fleet can be realized.
A transceiver is installed every 80m to provide the full functionality and with the NAiSE gateway one can easily connect to the system with cloud-compatible software. The web-based application can be used by computers, tablets and smartphones, and offers intuitive interaction with the NAiSE network.
The tracking information can be visualized in real-time in a 3D-map, thus coordinating effectively AGV fleets and bottlenecks can be handled by the system.
NAiSE is hosted at ESA BIC Hessen & Baden-Württemberg at its Darmstadt business incubation site for a period of two years to kick-off their business.
10th ESA Investment Forum
NAiSE will participate to the 10th ESA Investment Forum 31 January 2019.
The ESA Investment Forum is an ESA space solutions event organized by ESA Business Incubation Centre (ESA BIC) Hessen and Baden-Württemberg in partnership with with High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH and Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR)
The aim is to foster investments in start-ups operating in the space domain as well as within related application domains, downstream as well as upstream. It provides a platform for networking as well as matchmaking between innovative space start-ups and investors.
ESA BICs - World's largest ecosystem for space-related entrepreneurship
The ESA Business Incubation Centre (ESA BIC) Hessen and Baden-Württemberg is part of the ESA space solutions network of 20 ESA BICs throughout Europe.
The centres are operated under ESA’s Technology Transfer and Business Incubation Programme Office (TTPO) with the European network of Technology Transfer Brokers. Together they offer access to all aspects of space-related innovation, technology and intellectual properties and is a gateway to ESA and European space research and developments.
The 20 ESA BICs in 17 European countries – Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands and UK – are forming the largest ecosystem in the world for space-related entrepreneurship. The 21th centre is soon to open in Northern Germany and more centres are already under preparation.
Over 700 start-ups have been fostered and another near 180 new start-ups are taken in yearly at the ESA BICs to be supported under the two-years business development boosting programme.
