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Australia’s Q-CTRL has announced the first real-world demonstration of its commercially viable quantum navigation system. The system works without Global Positioning Systems (GPS), cannot be jammed, and is already proving to be drastically more accurate than anything else. This is a big deal as many vehicles worldwide (including planes and cars) rely heavily on GPS for navigation. However, GPS can be jammed, spoofed, or even denied, especially during military conflicts or cyberattacks. This is a growing concern for national security and autonomous vehicles, which need constant, accurate location data. In fact, according to a press release by Q-CTRL, GPS jamming has been shown to disrupt around 1,000 flights every day. An outage on this scale is estimated to cost the global economy around $1 billion daily. Therefore, finding a reliable backup to GPS is critical, especially for defense and autonomous systems. Navigation without GPS To this end, Q-CTRL developed a new system called “Ironstone Opal,” which uses quantum sensors to navigate without GPS. It’s passive (meaning it doesn’t emit signals that could be detected or jammed) and highly accurate. Instead of relying on satellites, Q-CTRL’s system can read the Earth’s magnetic field, which varies slightly depending on location (like a magnetic fingerprint or map). The system can determine where you are by measuring these variations using magnetometers. This is made possible using the company’s proprietary quantum sensors, which are incredibly sensitive and stable. The system also comes with special AI-based software, which filters out interference like vibrations or electromagnetic noise (what they call “software ruggedization”). Q-CTRL ran some live tests on the ground and in the air to validate the technology. As anticipated, they found that it could operate completely independently of GPS. Moreover, the company reports that its quantum GPS was 50 times more accurate than traditional GPS backup systems (like Inertial Navigation Systems or INS). The systems also delivered navigation precision on par with hitting a bullseye from 1,000 yards. Technology now proven Even when the equipment was mounted inside a plane, where interference is much worse, it outperformed existing systems by at least 11x. This is the first time quantum technology has been shown to outperform existing tech in a real-world commercial or military application, a milestone referred to as achieving “quantum advantage.” Because of its stealthy, jam-proof, and high-precision nature, this tech is highly attractive to military forces, notably Australia, the UK, and the US. However, it could also prove valuable to commercial aviation companies, autonomous vehicles, and drones. It could be a game-changer for navigation in hostile environments, GPS-denied zones, or deep-sea/mountainous regions where GPS doesn’t work well. “At Q-CTRL, we’re thrilled to be the global pioneer in taking quantum sensing from research to the field, being the first to enable real capabilities that have previously been little more than a dream,” said Biercuk from Q-CTRL. “This is our first major system release, and we’re excited that there will be much more to come as we introduce new quantum-assured navigation technologies tailored to other commercial and defense platforms,” he added. source: interestingengineering