IIT Madras researchers develop ‘UbiqMap’, a real-time indoor mapping solution that can be used under any conditions

With little reliance on existing infrastructure, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has created a cutting-edge real-time indoor mapping system that can produce accurate maps in any lighting or environmental circumstance. According to IIT Madras, the "UbiqMap" technology uses radio frequency-based imaging to produce intricate maps of interior spaces through a process known as "Radio Tomographic Imaging," or RTI.

RTI systems have historically relied on a network of wireless transceivers placed at predetermined, known locations, as IIT Madras noted. When structures block the wireless signal, the transceivers' ability to communicate is diminished. The area's floor plan or structural architecture is reconstructed by analyzing this signal power drop.

This need on pre-installed infrastructure is eliminated with UbiqMap, which uses wearable transceivers that rescue workers can conveniently wear. These gadgets provide a precise and up-to-date blueprint of the space by automatically determining team members' whereabouts as they move around it and updating the floor map continually.