At a glance: In the high-stakes world of competitive motorcycle racing, every millisecond and every centimeter counts. For one groundbreaking racing team pushing the limits of two-wheeled performance, achieving that razor-sharp precision demanded a new level of localization intelligence that Point One Navigation’s positioning engine software was able to provide.
The challenge: mastering dynamic environments with unwavering accuracy
Racing motorcycles operate in incredibly dynamic environments, subject to rapid accelerations, sharp turns, and constantly changing conditions. Relying solely on GNSS for precise positioning can be challenging due to signal obstructions and inherent limitations in accuracy. This top motorcycle racing brand needed a solution that could fuse data from multiple sensors to deliver a robust and highly accurate real-time position, enabling enhanced telemetry, rider aid, and ultimately, faster lap times all in real-time. This fusion of sensor inputs gives the machine and its operator greater confidence and control allowing them to, in this case, race against the clock and win competitions.
What is Sensor Fusion?
Point One’s positioning engine incorporates a sophisticated sensor fusion software solution designed to fuse data together to give a confident read-out of a device’s location using many inputs, in this case sensors. This involves leveraging both absolute positioning, like that provided by GNSS corrected data, and relative positioning, which tracks movement from a known point using sensors like IMUs and wheel speed sensors. By intelligently combining these absolute and relative measurements, the system achieves superior robustness and accuracy. It intelligently fuses data from various sensors like GNSS, inertial measurement units (IMUs), wheel speed sensors, and more to provide a highly accurate and reliable position, velocity, and attitude estimate.
"Before Point One’s positioning engine, we were always battling the limitations of incomplete data from various sources, giving us a fragmented output. Now, we have a much clearer and more consistent picture of what our bike is doing on the track, allowing us to fine-tune our strategy and push the boundaries of performance."
Achieving stable outputs through advanced algorithms and software intelligence
Point One’s positioning engine isn’t just a passive sensor data collector, it employs advanced algorithms and filtering techniques to intelligently weigh and combine inputs. This allows the system to compensate for the weaknesses of individual sensors and deliver a more accurate and stable output than any single sensor could achieve on its own. For the racing team, this translated directly into:
- Enhanced telemetry: More precise data on the bike’s trajectory, lean angle, and speed, enabling deeper analysis of rider performance and bike dynamics.
- Improved rider aids: More reliable inputs for traction control, stability control, and other critical rider assistance systems, enhancing safety and confidence at high speeds.
- Optimized strategy: Real-time positional accuracy allows for more informed decisions regarding pit stops, overtaking maneuvers, and overall race strategy.
Point One’s positioning engine has adaptability at its core
One of the key advantages of Point One’s positioning engine is its flexibility and adaptability. It can be configured to work with a wide range of sensor hardware and can be tailored to the specific needs of the user’s application. For the racing team, this meant seamless integration with their existing suite of onboard sensors and unique configuration for optimizing the pitch, yaw, and roll of the motorcycle. These concepts are the three axes of rotation for vehicles; pitch describes the up and down movement of the nose, yaw is the side-to-side motion, and roll refers to the tilting of the wings or sides. Fine-tuning the positioning engine for these important attributes allows the motorcycle racing team to gain a competitive edge over those that rely on driver intuition alone to make split-second decisions.
An important digression: While it’s possible to label these concepts on a flat, 2D picture, it isn’t possible to truly show all three axes of movement at once. Think about trying to capture the full acrobatics of a fighter jet with just a single photo. You’d see its position, but not the way it twists, dives, or climbs through the air. Think of the three axes of motion in the following way:
- Yaw is like the motorcycle turning its nose left or right, similar to steering a car.
- Pitch is the bike nosing up or down, like when it’s braking hard or accelerating quickly, causing the front or back to dip.
- Roll is the lean from side to side, crucial for cornering in a motorcycle.
In racing, understanding and precisely measuring these movements in real-time is vital. It’s the difference between a good lap and a championship-winning one, informing everything from traction control to rider feedback. Point One’s expertise and fine tuning of its positioning engine software allows the moto-racing team to not only see the bike on a map but understand its every twist, turn, and lean in full fidelity, as it happens on the track.
Beyond its flexibility for sensor inputs, Point One’s positioning engine has extreme adaptability in its applications and use cases. This is because Point One has purpose-built very specific positioning engine software variants to meet the needs of a range of devices across many industries. Instead of a generalized software solution, Point One has worked with customers to create positioning engine software that is tailored precisely to the needs of the device or vehicle that requires sensor fusion.
Fine-tuning sensor fusion for every application
While the core challenge of precise localization unites a diverse range of applications, the specific demands placed on a positioning engine like Point One’s can vary dramatically. Consider a high-performance motorcycle carving through winding roads. Its positioning needs to account for extreme dynamics: rapid acceleration, sharp leans, and frequent satellite signal dropouts in tree-lined areas or tunnels. The positioning engine variant tailored for motorcycles prioritizes low-latency updates and robust handling of inertial sensor data to maintain accuracy even during aggressive maneuvers and temporary GNSS outages.
Now contrast this with a delivery drone navigating a dense urban environment. While dynamic motion is still a factor, the emphasis shifts towards accuracy of altitude. Point One’s positioning engine software custom-built for drones places a greater emphasis on fusing data ensuring correct read outs of latitude, longitude, and altitude (an X,Y, and Z axis respectively), which are less important for horizontal moving vehicles.
Similarly, a robotic lawnmower operating in a residential backyard has a different set of priorities. While centimeter-level accuracy is crucial for precise lawn cutting in terms of safety, the motion is generally less dynamic than a motorcycle or drone and therefore does not heavily rely on roll, pitch, and yaw. The key here is often power efficiency and the ability to handle partial GNSS visibility due to trees or other obstacles. Point One’s positioning engine for this application optimizes power consumption and leverages wheel odometry more heavily to ensure efficient turf management.
Even seemingly simple applications like e-scooters benefit from tailored positioning. For fleet management and geofencing, a balance of accuracy and power efficiency is key. Point One’s scooter-specific positioning engine prioritizes lower power consumption while still providing sufficient accuracy for operational needs.
The beauty of Point One’s positioning engine lies in its architectural flexibility. Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, Point One has developed application-specific variants of sensor fusion. Point One fine-tunes the algorithms, sensor fusion strategies, and output characteristics to precisely match the unique demands of each use case. Whether it’s the high-octane world of motorsports, the complexities of aerial navigation, the precision of robotics, or the fleet-management needs of e-scooters, Point One’s positioning engine provides a precise localization solution engineered for optimal performance within its intended environment. This customization, especially when integrated into a custom-built INS (Inertial Navigation System), ensures that Point One’s partners have the precise localization intelligence required for their specific innovation, without compromise.
The winning difference
The integration of a custom-built positioning engine solution into Point One’s moto-racing partner proved to be a game-changer for the racing team. It provided them with the precise localization intelligence needed to gain a competitive edge in a sport where every fraction of a second matters.
This success story highlights the power of intelligent sensor fusion in unlocking new levels of performance and insight in highly dynamic applications. Point One’s positioning engine empowers innovators to move beyond the limitations of single-sensor generalized solutions and harness the collective intelligence of their data to achieve remarkable results.
Ready to explore how Point One’s positioning engine software can be tailored to your specific requirements? Reach out to our team today for a personalized discussion and POC. Contact Sales