Tern AI wants to offer a low-cost navigation alternative to reduce dependence on GPS, which is crucial for various systems of our modern world.
Many essential systems in our modern world, such as aviation, road networks, emergency response, precision farming, power grids, weather forecasting, and military defense, heavily rely on GPS. However, this reliance is increasingly becoming problematic.
Data from LIDAR, radar, cameras and GPS units are seen inside a car equipped with using PolySync autonomy system development for creating and deploying driverless vehicles being demonstrated during the four-day auto trade show AutoMobility LA at the Los Angeles Convention Center on November 17, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo : Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
Approach to Reducing GPS Reliance of Tern AI
Tern AI CEO and co-founder Shaun Moore told TechCrunch that the reliance on GPS poses risks due to vulnerabilities such as signal jamming and spoofing by foreign adversaries.
Moore emphasized the potentially catastrophic economic impact in the United States if GPS were compromised. According to TechCrunch, Moore said that Tern AI aims to reduce the vulnerability currently facing GPS.
Tern AI emerged from stealth mode in February and recently secured a $4.4 million seed funding round from investors like Scout Ventures, Shadow Capital, Bravo Victor VC, and Veteran Fund.
The startup has developed a so-called Independently Derived Positioning System (IDPS) capable of pinpointing the location of vehicles or individuals without the need for satellite signals.
This innovation eliminates concerns about signal interference from jamming, construction obstacles, or dead zones, ensuring precise positioning at all times. According to Moore, Tern AI can perform GPS functions without the need to communicate with satellites in space to determine location.
The existing system operates with GPS receivers in vehicles or smartphones that capture signals transmitted from Earth-orbiting satellites. These signals include satellite information and the exact time that the signals are sent.
The GPS receivers then calculate the distance to each satellite by using the time it took for each signal to travel. The receiver can pinpoint its precise location, which is then shown on navigation apps such as Google Maps or Waze by triangulating the distances. However, it is vulnerable to local disruptions.
For example, GPS spoofing incidents have directed commercial vessels into US Navy shipping lanes, and some shipping companies have encountered jammed signals, causing complete operational disruptions.
While everyday GPS users may not face direct targeting by adversaries, numerous military and civilian operations are at risk and would benefit from a more resilient solution.
Tern AI's IDPS relies on an AI model that continuously processes real-time data from vehicle and phone sensors and third-party map data to deliver accurate and reliable positioning information.
This model is available as a software package that can be installed on a compatible vehicle's infotainment system. For vehicles that are not compatible, the system can be installed on a smartphone instead.
