Miniature tracking chip features high accuracy

DecaWave claims its 7mm² chip, which is based on the UWB 802.14.4a IEEE standard, is smaller than any others on the market due to a patented set of algorithms.

It can be integrated into a mobile phone or small wearable device and reputedly deliver information about a target’s location, whether indoor or outdoor, with an accuracy of +/-10cm regardless of any obstructions and whether or not it is moving.

The company says this could be used for a variety of applications such as locating soldiers on the battlefield, tracking the movements of firemen in a burning building or sourcing medical equipment in a hospital.

Ciaran Connell, chief executive of DecaWave, told The Engineer one of the major advantages of the chip is that it consumes less power.

‘It can run off a single watch battery for 10 years,’ he said.

Connell added that the company will be ready for mass production in the fourth quarter of next year. Each tracking tag will incorporate the chip, which is manufactured by TSMC in Taiwan, an antenna plus battery and cost approximately $5 (£3).