qPos - Navigation without limits

qPos(R) is a deep sea sampling off-spin - dedicated to navigate in spaces without access to GNSS/ GPS signals.

Developed during Deep Sea Sampling, qPos (R) is focussing on gaining data for position and heading at places where no access to established Positioning and Navigation Systems is available - the deep sea, caves, underground mines, constructions sites and much, much more.

 

What is Deep Sea Sampling?

Deep Sea Sampling is a joint project with seven partnering companies and institutions to develop equipment for sampling and extraction of massive sulfide ores from deep water sites between 2500 and 4000 m below sea level.

 

What is qPos (R)?

While «Pos» stands for «Positioning», the q is the shortcut for the quaternion operator. Quaternion is an extension of the complex number space into three imaginary units. Sounds complicated? It isn't! It's used to calculte rotations of objects in a three-dimensional euclidic space without conventional vector analysis to avoid gimbal locks - a situation, where two axis are identical during rotation and thus a system would lose the ability to estimate, in what direction the system is moving.

 

 


Data Logging

Mine shafts and mine shaft equipment have to be monitored on a regular base. Especially equipment for transportation must be monitored for damages for security reasons. qPos (R) is able to provided monitoring data regarding depth information for inormalities by using accelerometer data. This provides a higher accurycy and - while doing this constantly - reliable data for maintenance analysis.

Borehole Deviation Measurement

While sinking boreholes and trench cuts the interference of tool and soil causes deviations. Actuallly, the machine operator has to correct these deviations manually during constant supervision of the entire process. qPos can provide in-line data directly from the bore or millers head - allowing a higher accuracy of both borehole and trench cut.

Condition Montoring

Eqipment undergraound is set to many varying conditions. With qPos at the machine, events interfering with both the machine and their behavior can be localised directly - you know not only when, but also exactly where events had happened. This allows a wider range of analytics.

Exploration of inaccessible areas

Knowing where you are - without being there. Abandoned mines, hollows, caves or contaminated areas not prone to human exploration can be accessed by semi-autonomous vehicles. Having data about their exact position and heading helps to provide valuable information for the explorer as well as the retriveability of spots of interest - qPos will deliver these data.

Deep Sea Mining

Saltwater, no light, temperatures at freezing point and pressures in the 4,000+ psi - these are the conditions of the deep sea. qPos (R) is developed and designed to sustain under these circumstances: delivering data from exploration tools - allowing an accurate view where exploration and extraction takes place.