We both experienced frustration moments when the GPS went down and you missed the exit on the highway. The team is in tern aiLow-cost GPS alternatives are being built, saying this is because current technology is limited by reliance on satellite positioning.
Tern AI said it has figured out how to use only MAP information and the vehicle’s existing sensor data to locate the vehicle’s location. The company’s Tone: This is an inexpensive system that does not require any other expensive sensors.
In SXSWthe Austin-based startup has shown specifically for TechCrunch that it can “get a position from scratch.”
“There is no triangulation, no satellites, no wifi, nothing. When co-founder and president Brett Harrison told TechCrunch, Techrus Behroozi was a senior software developer at Tern who loaded the demo on his iPhone. “It really is changing the game because as we move away from triangulation-based technology, which limits the technology, and now we have the ability to use the grid for the most. ”
Harrison said the breakthrough is important for a variety of reasons. From a business perspective, companies that rely on GPS (delivery companies including ride-hailing apps) waste time, money and gas every time they have to double back due to mispositioning of GPS.
More importantly, our most critical systems, such as disaster responses that depend on disaster responses to precise agriculture. Foreign opponents have proven that they can Spoofing GPS signalswhich could have a catastrophic impact on economic and national security.
The U.S. said it wants to prioritize alternatives to GPS. During his first term, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order Reduce dependence on single source PNT (locating, navigation and timing) services, such as GPS. There are also Several other initiatives Which direct agencies and agencies, such as the National Security Anmilass, ensures the elasticity of PNT by testing and integrating non-GPS technologies.
“DeepSeek is out And said it was spent $6 million to do it [OpenAI, Anthropic, and other AI companies] Billions of dollars. “It took billions and decades to make the point span the map in real time in the vehicle. We did it for less than $2 million. ”
Tern came out of invisibility in February 2024 and announced $4.4 million seed wheel A few months later. This is a quick turnaround of the type of positioning I experienced this week on SXSW.
Testing Tern Systems in Austin
To start the demonstration, Behroozi connected his 2019 Honda Civic to his phone via Bluetooth, allowing the Tern app to get data from the vehicle’s existing sensors. He noted that Tern’s technology can be integrated directly into vehicle models from 2009 and above.
Usually, Tern will set the position manually to speed it up, but for our demo, the team wants to be “unpopular”. Fehroozi turned off location services for the phone, so the Tern Intellignent System has only a cache map of 500 square miles of boundaries around Austin and can use vehicle sensors.
As the car drives, the system picks up road data to work towards “convergence.” It took about 10 minutes to reach full convergence from the upset, but Harrison assured me that it usually takes one to two minutes when it has a starting point. Plus, we were stuck in some traffic, which slowed everything down, Fehroozi added.
Harrison notes that Tern’s system can also position vehicles on parking lots, tunnels and the mountains that GP struggles to do. Harrison would not explain exactly how to say that the information is “proprietary”.
After the system reached full convergence, we drove for a few more minutes and I watched it steadily track our precise movements in a way that looked as good as GPS and in some cases it looked better. This became even more obvious as we drove into downtown Austin, when my Google Maps regularly misallocated me on my city streets throughout the week, dotted with towering buildings.
From a privacy standpoint, Tern’s system is also safer because of using GPS: “If someone knows your ID, they can find you at any time.”
“Our system is a closed loop,” he said. “Now, we emit nothing. It independently draws our position [via on edge computing]therefore there are no external contact points. ”
Build for scaling
“We built companies and solutions from the very beginning. If you look at Waymo cars and all the embedded hardware, we won’t see the Nissan Sentra anytime soon. It’s too expensive. Harrison said, pointing ahead of us, pointing at the front of us. Waymo-uber Robotaxi.
“At the manufacturer level, if [Tern] Implemented in the infotainment system, it is just a software Download, very scalable. All new vehicles have the sensor data we need. Map data already exists for all providers today. So it’s very simple. ”
Tern’s potential customers may be anyone from automakers to phone manufacturers, from Google to Uber. Harrison said the startup was willing to grow the company, but it was also an acquisition.
“The main thing is to take it into the economy, because of the growing threat and the advent of technology, the lack of awareness of its full potential due to the limitations of triangulation,” Harrison said.
He pointed out that Tern is exploring possibilities with the government. The startup recently demonstrated its technology with nine other companies around the world, and recently won a contract award from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
“We hope we do a good job of showing the administration the possibility of American innovation now,” Harrison said.
