Q-CTRL, an Australian company that develops software to power quantum computing applications, has demonstrated a navigation system based on quantum technology that it claims is far more accurate than current Global Positioning Systems (GPS).
Q-CTRL’s new system, dubbed Ironstone Opal, could potentially provide navigation for cars and planes that cannot be blocked or spoofed, which would be helpful for consumer vehicles and critically advantageous for vehicles in wartime.
The technology doesn’t rely on satellites as GPS systems do. Instead, Ironstone connects with the Earth’s magnetic field, which allows a vehicle to ascertain its location based on relation to magnetic signals. The system uses magnetometers to measure changes and help guide the vehicle.
Underpinning the system is Q-CTRL’s highly stable quantum sensors, which deploy supersensitive technology to track small differences in location. These sensors detect tiny magnetic signals emitting from the Earth’s surface that offer landmarks for navigation.
“We achieved an accuracy in some trials comparable to a sharpshooter hitting a bullseye from 1,000 yards away,” said Q-CTRL CEO Michael Biercuk. “But because our quantum-assured navigation system allows a vehicle to position itself irrespective of how far it’s travelled, by analogy that sharpshooter can hit the same bullseye no matter how far away they move from the target.”
Built into this system is an artificial intelligence (AI) software that helps block any electromagnetic signals that are merely noise. Q-CTRL calls this feature “software ruggedization.” The entire device is small enough to be installed in cars or even drones. It’s ideal for airplanes, which the company claims are particularly subject to GPS jamming.
In land-based tests of the Ironstone system, the company confirmed that the device supported navigation without any assistance from GPS. Furthermore, Q-CTRL says the system is 50 times more accurate than GPS backup systems. When used aboard a plane, it bested performance of current GPS systems by approximately 11x.
The use cases for this quantum-based system include any number of extremely remote locations where GPS is less reliable, and would be especially important in combat scenarios where GPS has been jammed.
Beyond the advance in navigation, this announcement is an important real-world use of quantum technology, which has been the subject of disagreement in recent months. Quantum computing uses subatomic particles to represent and process data, and it promises enormous advances over even the fastest of today’s super computers. However, a cohort of U.S. quantum computing companies have recently faced skepticism about this emerging technology’s current commercial viability. Most notably, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, speaking at the CES Conference, forecast that quantum computing won’t have many real uses cases for 15 years or so.
Huang later apologized for his remarks and hosted an event called Quantum Day at the NVIDIA GTC Conference. He appeared onstage with executives of quantum companies like Rigetti and Wave Quantum as these firms discussed the many possibilities of quantum.
“This whole session is going to be like a therapy session for me,” Huang said, acknowledging that quantum has enormous possibilities but noting that it is “insanely complicated.” NVIDIA later announced that is building a research center in Boston to support quantum research.
