AI brings real-time indoor positioning to smartphones

OpenSpace believes its AI Autolocation technology could ultimately exceed GPS-level accuracy

OpenSpace has introduced AI Autolocation, a new Spatial AI technology that it claims will give every smartphone a real-time indoor positioning capability without the need for specialist hardware, such as Bluetooth Beacons. The company believes that as the system matures, powered by ongoing machine learning, it will ultimately exceed GPS-level accuracy.

AI Autolocation works by comparing real-time sensor readings from a smartphone with sensor maps generated from pre-existing 360° captures created on the OpenSpace platform.

The adaptive system progressively refines its location estimations even as the jobsite itself changes over time.

OpenSpace’s technology is first being used to power new capabilities in OpenSpace Field, a new system of work for field construction teams. Notes and photos taken in the OpenSpace smartphone app are automatically pinned to floorplans and aligned to BIM in real-time. According to the company, this automatic spatial awareness reduces ambiguity, accelerates resolution, saves time, and keeps office and field teams in sync.

Looking to the future, OpenSpace claims AI Autolocation is laying the groundwork for advanced Spatial AI agents that will enable proactive issue detection and resolution by flagging issues in specific zones and suggesting immediate actions.

They will also provide ‘executive-level insights’, with AI-powered summaries derived from visual and spatial data delivering clear, actionable guidance.

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“Construction sites are chaotic, ever-changing environments and achieving indoor positioning on smartphones required advances across different domains of Spatial Artificial Intelligence: sensor fusion, machine learning, dynamic map creation, and computational efficiency specifically for mobile devices,” said Michael Fleischman, co-founder and CTO at OpenSpace. “Delivering this breakthrough is a proud moment for OpenSpace and a testament that shows our commitment to unlocking the future of how construction teams work.”