ESA BIC NAiSE: a specialist in indoor navigation
The ESA Business Incubation Centre (ESA BIC) Darmstadt 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 ILA Future Lab ”FUEL FOR INNOVATION”.
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 50m to provide the full functionality. Thanks to the NAiSE gateway one can easily connect to the system with loud-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.
ESA Business Incubation Centres – ESA BICs
The Technology Transfer and Business Incubation Programme Office of the European Space Agency manages the Space Solutions Programme, which has created the world’s largest ecosystem for space related Entrepreneurship. The 18 ESA Business Incubation Centres (ESA BICs) support 160 companies per year and more than 600 new start-ups have so far been fostered.
At the ILA Future Lab ”FUEL FOR INNOVATION” meet NAiSE and other disruptive ESA start-ups together with Head of ESA Technology Transfer and Business Incubation Centre Office Frank M. Salzgeber, ESA BIC Manager Frank Zimmermann and Sabine Dannelke, the Head of Division Satellite Navigation/Galileo, Digitalization of Public Transport at the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure in Berlin, Germany,
The ILA Future Lab ”FUEL FOR INNOVATION” takes place in the FORUM Hall 2/204 at ILA in Berlin on Thursday 26 April 13:15 – 14:45.