• hamsamrich@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    1
    ·
    17 days ago

    “Quantum sensors can sense the tiniest of changes in the gravity or magnetic field and use a previously prepared map of these properties to determine their location. Since a quantum sensor does not need to receive or send a signal to an external device, it cannot be hacked or be spoofed by a fake incoming signal either. “ Very cool!

    • MangoCats@feddit.it
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      16 days ago

      Two issues I have with the presentation:

      A magnetic field is an external signal - the Earth’s magnetic field is actually incredibly weak…

      10x better performance than GNSS … positioning accuracy of 1 nautical mile. Cheap old school handheld GPS out in the woods was accurate better than 10 feet most of the time, so what in this performance is 10x better? 10x more resistant to jamming? Seems like it should be completely impervious to jamming. 1 nm accuracy is useful, but hardly better performance.

      • ButtDrugs@lemmy.zip
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        16 days ago

        Its better performance than existing non-gps systems - not better than GPS. For ships , being within 1nm after thousands of miles of travel is really well performing. Obvious the real play here is weaponry though, since GPS isnt reliable in warfare and on-board sensors can do the detail work of target identification once in an area, the hard part is a way for them to self navigate accurately over long distances without GPS.

        • frongt@lemmy.zip
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          0
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          16 days ago

          The realer play is submarines. You don’t get any satellite signal at all underwater. Before this it was only INS or dead reckoning.

          • CookieOfFortune@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            16 days ago

            I suspect submarines can also use bottom facing radar to track features on the sea floor. But tracking the gravity should be even better.

            • frongt@lemmy.zip
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              0
              ·
              16 days ago

              Radar is radio, just like most satellites. It doesn’t do well through water. And that would require emissions, which submarines like to avoid.

      • frongt@lemmy.zip
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        0
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        16 days ago

        Why do you think they expect it to be permanent? We survey all kinds of stuff like this all the time.