Pioneering GPS-Free Positioning

Using ultra-stable quantum magnetic sensors, developed by the UMQT team at the University of Strathclyde, we are trialing resilient positioning against the permanent geomagnetic anomalies locked into the Earth’s crust. An early pre-print of our most recent results has been released here: https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.24612.

Navigational aiding against geomagnetic anomalies is one of a number of applications of our accuarate and precise magnetic resonance technologies, which also include quantum spin gyroscopes, biomagnetic sensing and precision measurement of space weather phenomena (see TheTimes).

This work is led by Dr. Stuart Ingleby, Prof. Paul Griffin and Dr. Dominic Hunter. Postdoctoral applicants with a suitable PhD or EngD are sought to join this interdisciplinary research team: Research Associate (834323).

Magnetic field map: The surveyed data for the magnetic map. A raster path with 10 m line spacing was walked, immediately followed by two diagonal lines. The thin white-dotted lines and accompanying numbers are the contour lines of the topography, illustrating the Northerly slope of the survey area.

July 2026