GPS is a useful tool to navigate your way around. Indoor Positioning System (IPS) is its

equivalent within large-scale buildings and structures such as exhibition halls or

museums. But IPS is notorious for poor accuracy and user experience. To tackle this

issue, researchers from the Department of Electronic and Information Engineering

developed Dolphin, an IPS that uses BLE beacons and smartphones via Cooperative

Positioning algorithm to create an extended network.

ith global positioning system (GPS) on every

smartphone, most motorists are leaving their maps at home. However, GPS does not work indoor because satellite signals cannot penetrate buildings. Experts have been developing its indoor equivalent – Indoor Positioning Systems (IPS) to locate people or objects within buildings, especially in vast spaces such as exhibition halls, museums, shopping malls, airports, etc. However, the result has been unsatisfactory so far. In light of this, Mr Gary C. M. Leung, an engineering doctorate student of the Department of Electronic and Information Engineering as well as Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of PolyU-supported startup Blue Pin Consulting (HK) Limited, led a research team to develop Dolphin, an IPS that creates an extended network with Bluetooth

Low Energy (BLE) beacons and smartphones via Cooperative Positioning algorithm. Blue Pin has set up Dolphin IPS at various exhibition facilities and indoor spaces. Responses have been highly positive.

Issues with existing IPS solutionsThere are many problems with existing IPSs. First and foremost, poorly constructed and inaccurate map is the culprit to poor user experience. Besides, exhibition booth walls may cause IPS signals to drop off, and the resulting patchy connection would further frustrate users. Interference is also caused by reflective signals, or in multi-storey locations, signals from other floors. Such noise would interfere with positioning and undermine accuracy. “For instance, many IPSs in shopping malls stop working for up to a minute when you travel from

W

Mr Gary C. M. Leung, an engineering doctorate student of the Department of Electronic and Information Engineering, is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Blue Pin, aPοlyU-supported startup

one floor to another on an escalator. It is because the system is confused with where you are and needs time to recalibrate before it can tell your location. When you’re on your way to your destination and the screen freezes, you tend to give up and ask someone instead. That’s what gave IPS its bad rep,” explained Mr Leung.

Benefits of combining BLE and Cooperative PositioningAmong the most popular IPS solutions at present, namely Wi-Fi, BLE and magnetic field, Mr Leung believes that BLE strikes a balance between cost and effectiveness. “Wi-Fi is costly to set up. IPSs leveraging Wi-Fi usually achieve accuracy between 5 to 15 metres, not accurate enough to locate each and every booth or shop. Wi-Fi also poses security threats as hackers may abuse it and attack any device connected to the network. On the other hand, magnetic field IPSs can be built at low cost. But magnetic field is altered readily by electric currents and electronic devices. For example, if you turn on or off Bluetooth speakers or ear buds, the magnetic field changes and the IPS needs recalibration. That’s why such systems don’t perform very well.”

BLE beacons are inexpensive transmitters that broadcast signals unilaterally. Unlike Wi-Fi, they do not receive any information from your device so that BLE IPS poses no security threat. What set Dolphin system apart from competitors are the patent pending Cooperative Positioning technology and the series of complicated algorithms that ensure positioning accuracy. “Cooperative Positioning is a way to extend the IPS network and

strengthen its signal where reception is poor. The idea is to send the positioning signal from a beacon to nearby smartphones, which in turn act as beacons themselves to spread the signals like a relay race. This way, the signals can go around barriers and remain strong and stable throughout the whole venue without any dead spots,” said Mr Leung.

Accurate and stable IPS systemThe team have been developing hardware and software from scratch for four years, painstakingly dealing with every factor that may affect IPS accuracy. “There are at least 10 factors affecting IPS accuracy and stability. As we did not use any off-the-shelf components, we can troubleshoot each problem making Dolphin one of the most useable IPSs in the market.” The team made Dolphin even more user-friendly by incorporating augmented reality in navigation – an arrow is superimposed over the actual scene to point the user in the right direction. Dolphin is also an invaluable source of data. Visitor behaviours and demographics can also be recorded anonymously and analysed for research purpose. Insights on visitor preferences can be derived from the routes they take and how much time they spend in certain shops or booths. Users can even locate their friends easily or call for help in case of emergency within the venue.

Dolphin IPS system won a gold medal at the 71st International Trade Fair for Ideas, Inventions & New Products (iENA) held in Nuremberg, Germany. Blue Pin is an awardee of the PolyU Micro Fund Scheme.

News Bite on PolyU's Innovation

Issue | Jan 2020

DOLPHIN Indoor Positioning ServiceLow-cost, stable, accurate system with broad coverage

Low Energy (BLE) beacons and smartphones via Cooperative Positioning algorithm. Blue Pin has set up Dolphin IPS at various exhibition facilities and indoor spaces. Responses have been highly positive.

Issues with existing IPS solutionsThere are many problems with existing IPSs. First and foremost, poorly constructed and inaccurate map is the culprit to poor user experience. Besides, exhibition booth walls may cause IPS signals to drop off, and the resulting patchy connection would further frustrate users. Interference is also caused by reflective signals, or in multi-storey locations, signals from other floors. Such noise would interfere with positioning and undermine accuracy. “For instance, many IPSs in shopping malls stop working for up to a minute when you travel from

one floor to another on an escalator. It is because the system is confused with where you are and needs time to recalibrate before it can tell your location. When you’re on your way to your destination and the screen freezes, you tend to give up and ask someone instead. That’s what gave IPS its bad rep,” explained Mr Leung.

Benefits of combining BLE and Cooperative PositioningAmong the most popular IPS solutions at present, namely Wi-Fi, BLE and magnetic field, Mr Leung believes that BLE strikes a balance between cost and effectiveness. “Wi-Fi is costly to set up. IPSs leveraging Wi-Fi usually achieve accuracy between 5 to 15 metres, not accurate enough to locate each and every booth or shop. Wi-Fi also poses security threats as hackers may abuse it and attack any device connected to the network. On the other hand, magnetic field IPSs can be built at low cost. But magnetic field is altered readily by electric currents and electronic devices. For example, if you turn on or off Bluetooth speakers or ear buds, the magnetic field changes and the IPS needs recalibration. That’s why such systems don’t perform very well.”

BLE beacons are inexpensive transmitters that broadcast signals unilaterally. Unlike Wi-Fi, they do not receive any information from your device so that BLE IPS poses no security threat. What set Dolphin system apart from competitors are the patent pending Cooperative Positioning technology and the series of complicated algorithms that ensure positioning accuracy. “Cooperative Positioning is a way to extend the IPS network and

strengthen its signal where reception is poor. The idea is to send the positioning signal from a beacon to nearby smartphones, which in turn act as beacons themselves to spread the signals like a relay race. This way, the signals can go around barriers and remain strong and stable throughout the whole venue without any dead spots,” said Mr Leung.

Accurate and stable IPS systemThe team have been developing hardware and software from scratch for four years, painstakingly dealing with every factor that may affect IPS accuracy. “There are at least 10 factors affecting IPS accuracy and stability. As we did not use any off-the-shelf components, we can troubleshoot each problem making Dolphin one of the most useable IPSs in the market.” The team made Dolphin even more user-friendly by incorporating augmented reality in navigation – an arrow is superimposed over the actual scene to point the user in the right direction. Dolphin is also an invaluable source of data. Visitor behaviours and demographics can also be recorded anonymously and analysed for research purpose. Insights on visitor preferences can be derived from the routes they take and how much time they spend in certain shops or booths. Users can even locate their friends easily or call for help in case of emergency within the venue.

Dolphin IPS system won a gold medal at the 71st International Trade Fair for Ideas, Inventions & New Products (iENA) held in Nuremberg, Germany. Blue Pin is an awardee of the PolyU Micro Fund Scheme.

Dolphin Indoor Positioning System

Dolphin Indoor Positioning System won a gold medal at the 71st International Trade Fair for Ideas, Inventions & New Products (iENA) in Germany.

Cooperative Positioning extends IPS networks and improves reception by sending the positioning signal from a BLE beacon to nearby smartphones, which in turn act as beacons to spread the signal.

Issue | Jan 2020

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