PINPOINT

The Precision Inertial Navigation & Positioning On an Integrated Tesseract (PINPOINT) program aims to address a critical vulnerability for U.S. defense systems: systemic over-reliance on the Global Positioning System (GPS). The program seeks to develop next-generation micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) inertial measurement units (IMUs) packaged into a form factor about the size of a Rubik’s Cube (or Tesseract) capable of delivering GPS-quality precision over multi-hour missions – even in GPS-denied environments.

IMUs use an array of built-in sensors to track an object’s movement and orientation in 3-dimensional space. When GPS is jammed or unavailable, tactical platforms fall back to performing dead reckoning using onboard IMUs. However, the performance of compact, low-cost MEMS IMUs has plateaued for over a decade. Because existing sensors operate strictly within linear mechanical regimes, they drift rapidly and lose positional accuracy within seconds of GPS loss.

PINPOINT will break through this performance plateau by challenging the research community to exploit the untapped physics of nonlinear electro-mechanics. Building on foundational science from the Highly Accelerated Learning of Vibratory Systems (HALOVS) portfolio, the program will investigate revolutionary approaches – such as levitated proof masses and high-velocity tethered microsystems – that can operate deep within nonlinear dynamic regimes over their extended lifetime.

To harness these complex physical phenomena, PINPOINT will drive the tight co-design of a physical sensor package with advanced, real-time adaptive control systems. This integrated approach aims to improve sensor performance by orders of magnitude compared to today’s state-of-the-art.

Ultimately, PINPOINT aims to transform tactical munitions, unmanned systems, and other warfighter assets into resilient, all-weather platforms, enabling assured positioning and navigation without any reliance on external signals.