Sonitor has introduced a new groundbreaking ultrasound-based technology positioning platform named Forkbeard. It is the first ultrasound-based technology that enables smart mobile devices to become highly accurate indoor positioning tools offering an innovative and convenient alternative to standard RTLS (Real-Time-Location-Systems) tags or badges.
Lyra, the first release of this breakthrough platform, delivers never before achieved smartphone positioning accuracy enabling way-finding to within 1 foot in a corridor, 100% room level accuracy and 1-2 second update rates. Forkbeard is compatible with the billions of iOS, Android and Windows smart devices on the market today and has been heralded by leading mobile technology insiders as a disruptive force in indoor navigation and positioning. By leveraging the capacity of the smartphone’s microphone and powerful processor, no modifications or accessories are required to transform a smartphone into an accurate positioning device or tag.
It represents a fundamentally new approach to ultrasound decoding developed to deliver accurate distance measurements and to find powerful Doppler effects when a device is in motion. The result is a scalable and accurate indoor positioning platform that delivers GPS-like performance indoors. It is a major technology breakthrough with applicability in healthcare and other industries, such as retail and warehousing, where reliable and accurate indoor positioning can deliver significant value. With the ubiquity of consumer and professional smart devices, Forkbeard has the potential to make transformative changes across multiple markets.
“Forkbeard” (Tveskæg) was a Scandinavian king who dethroned his father, “King Bluetooth” (Blåtand) in 986 AD. Bluetooth was known as a unifier and communicator, and Forkbeard as a navigator and conqueror. Bluetooth (BLE) technology was developed for short range radio communication by a special interest group initiated by Intel, Ericsson and Nokia in the 1990s and has evolved into a globally adopted short range RF communication technology. Sonitor Sense and Forkbeard technologies were developed for determining indoor location in complex environments. Together they outperform BLE-only technology for navigation and indoor positioning because they combine BLE with the proven accuracy of Sonitor’s patented ultrasound positioning technology.
Sonitor will be exhibiting at the HIMSS Annual Conference & Exhibition in Las Vegas, NV, from March 5-9, 2018 and will have live demonstrations of both the Forkbeard and Sense platforms.
