Geographic North Pole Pointer

To address the Army’s need for a new rugged, lightweight, and compact north-finding technology capable of accurately determining heading relative to True North in Global Positioning System (GPS)-denied environments and amid interference such as magnetic fields or overcast skies, Intellisense Systems, Inc. (Intellisense) proposes to advance the development of a novel Geographic North Pole Pointer (GNOPP) solution in Phase II. This innovative, low–size, weight, power, and cost (low-SWaP-C) system, proven feasible in Phase I, combines compact MEMS accelerometers and gyroscopes, all controlled by a single-board computer utilizing extended Kalman filtering and artificial intelligence/machine learning–based software. The GNOPP promises True North accuracy within ?0.2 degrees, even in the presence of magnetic interference and geomagnetic noise. In Phase I, Intellisense successfully designed a proof-of-concept GNOPP capable of stand-alone or platform-integrated operation, compatible with the Army Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA). This design included hardware and software integration, along with a detailed user interaction guide. At the end of Phase I, we demonstrated a breadboard prototype with an accuracy of 1 degree when finding True North and outlined initial Phase II specifications to achieve low SWaP-C in mass production. Building on these promising Phase I results, Phase II will focus on optimization and integration of GNOPP prototypes based on the specified requirements, ensuring compliance with Army MOSA standards for integration into current and future systems, such as the Weaponized Universal Lightweight Fire Control (WULF) system, across various training and operational contexts. The autonomous low-SWaP-C GNOPP can be used as a stand-alone navigation aid, instead of soldiers’ M2 compass, for soldiers operating in austere conditions. By the end of Phase II, Intellisense aims to demonstrate a technology readiness level 7 GNOPP prototype in a relevant representative environment that fulfills the Army’s operational needs, with a target accuracy of within 1 degree (threshold) or 0.2 degrees (objective), and deliver testing results and a user manual for heading measurements in stand-alone or cooperative scenarios to the Army.