IIIT-H devises new low-cost location tool without GPS

HYDERABAD: Next time you misplace something and kick yourself for being forgetful, a nifty low-cost tool conceptualised by IIIT-Hyderabad may help you locate it.

Once commercialised, the sensor device could be placed on any item or even children’s clothes and the location tracked via mobiles/apps or browser as long as they are within the network area.
Developed by researchers from the Processes Architecture and Technologies Research in IoT (PATRIoT) lab at IIIT-H, the novel localisation approach is GPS-free and uses LoRaWAN technology. This method is based on the Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA) – a well-established geolocation technique that can locate a signal source from different arrival times at three or more receivers. The patent for the concept is pending. “Our method can even be used on Mars where there is no GPS,” said Aftab Hussain, principal investigator of PATRIoT lab, adding that the concept was not limited to LoRaWAN and can be replicated with any other wireless technology.

Where it scores over other devices is its near-zero recharging condition.


“One of the reasons we don’t have a lot of asset trackers that you could put in your purse or bag is because they have to be recharged after a day or two. Whereas a tracker that can be deployed without the hassle of recharging for the next couple of years is a game-changer,” he added.