Korea University: World’s first indoor positioning system and indoor navigation app for subways and KTX stations in metropolitan area under development
The team led by Professor Choi Lynn of the School of Electrical Engineering has begun developing the world’s first indoor positioning system for subway stations, including elevators, escalators and stairs, and an indoor navigation service customized for wheelchair users and people with visual impairments. The team’s deep learning-based geomagnetic indoor positioning technology, which acquired New Excellent Technology (NET) certification from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, will be applied to subway stations in the metropolitan area.
There has been a growing demand for accurate indoor positioning due to the increasing number of wheelchair lift accidents in subway stations, a lack of transfer guidance for people with disabilities, and the fight for mobility rights by people with disabilities. According to a survey by the Korea Consumer Agency, the average transfer time for wheelchair users was 18 minutes, and in extreme cases, as long as 40 minutes. The average was 4.5 times longer than that of regular passengers (4 minutes).
The demand survey requested by the Korea Railroad Corporation was approved by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The team led by Professor Choi Lynn utilized its indoor positioning technology and navigation application technology, and collaborated with TANINE Co., Ltd. The KTX Suwon Station and Line 1 Suwon Station have been selected as pilot sites, and the period of development will be from October 2022 to December 2023. The KU team is responsible for the development of the indoor positioning system in subway stations and indoor navigation application.
The geomagnetic indoor positioning technology operates using smartphones alone, and does not require additional equipment as it relies on naturally occurring geomagnetic fields. The team’s indoor positioning technology, recognized as the world’s most advanced, offers superior positioning performance with a certified positioning error range of 73 cm, that is, five to ten times smaller than existing radiowave-based technologies. With this technology, Korea University became the first university in Korea to obtain NET certification from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy in 2020.
Due to performance and budget constraints, existing indoor positioning technologies have not been commercialized for use in subway stations or large buildings. The team’s indoor navigation service, if successfully developed, will be the first in the world.
The team plans to develop the world’s first indoor duplex-type navigation service covering elevators, escalators and stairs, customized indoor navigation service for visually impaired and wheelchair users, and safe route guide service, including information on train schedules, warnings of unsafe areas, and convenience facilities.
The technology can be further expanded to the development of an advanced infectious disease management system, which will be useful for floating population analysis in subway stations, location-based disaster management, and tracking and analysis of disease transmission routes and infected persons during an outbreak of infectious diseases such as COVID-19 or MERS.