GPS-Denied Drone
Navigation

Overview

In contested environments where GPS signals are jammed or spoofed, autonomous drone operations require alternative navigation methods. ASTROC developed a Visual-Inertial Odometry (VIO) system that enables GPS-independent flight using only onboard cameras and IMU data.

Challenge

Military and defence operations often take place in GPS-denied or GPS-contested environments. Electronic warfare techniques like GPS jamming and spoofing make satellite-based navigation unreliable. Drones that depend solely on GPS for position hold and navigation become non-functional in these scenarios.

Solution

ASTROC's GPS-Denied Navigation module uses proprietary Visual-Inertial Localization (mapping and Mapping) to estimate the drone's position and orientation using visual features tracked across camera frames, fused with high-rate IMU data.

The system runs on an ASTROC Edge edge compute module and provides position estimates at 100Hz with drift rates below 0.5% of distance travelled. It integrates directly with the flight controller as an external position source, enabling autonomous waypoint navigation without any GPS fix.

Applications

The system has been demonstrated for indoor warehouse inspection, tunnel survey, and defence ISTAR missions. It enables autonomous building entry, corridor following, and return-to-launch in completely GPS-denied environments.