Not many small wearable tech boasts built-in GPS. Microsoft Band is among the first to adopt a built-in GPS but why the rarity is obvious: because today’s GPS module is small, but not tiny enough to be fitted into really small gadgets, and even it could, power consumption and accuracy could be questionable. We cannot be a judge of how the GPS receiver will perform on the Band, but one thing for sure is this: OriginGPS’ latest innovation in GPS modules, Nano Spider GPS Receiver, could be the answer to even smaller and more efficient GPS-enabled wearable gadget in near future. Touted as the world’s smallest fully integrated GPS receiver, Nano Spider is a cool 47 percent smaller than OriginGPS’ previous module, measuring just 4 x 4 x 2.1mm.
The benefits with a smaller chip is immediately obvious: It means adding location functionality to even the smallest gadgets is possible and with the promised of fully integrated features and extreme accuracy, it also means electronic makers don’t have to trade size for performance and reliability. On the flip side, the a GPS receiver this minuscule will inevitably make fictional stuff seen on silverscreen and TV, such as tracking device embedded into tiny earrings used by spies, a reality, or at least one step closer to being a reality. Well, not that commoners like us will be using it for such application, but I guess what we are trying say is the implications of such technology is larger than what it is capable off. It could be both exciting and creepy at the same time.
According to OriginGPS, Nano Spider offers an accuracy of approximately one meter and is capable of achieving a rapid time to first fix or TTFF in less a second. What’s more, it is able to maintaining continuous connectivity while drawing microwatts of battery power. Furthermore, its proprietary Noise Free Zone system boosts the noise immunity even under marginal signal conditions, such as urban canyons, under dense foliage or a rapidly-changing receiver position, which means future wearable gadgets could be more reliable without sacrificing the size – a thing of a dream for today’s GPS users, if we might add. OriginGPS will be demoing the Nano Spider, as well as the Nano Hornet GPS modules at the Electronica 2014, happening from November 11-14 in Munich, Germany.
PS: The main reason we kept referencing to movies is simple: We often sneered at scenes like a person sticking a penny size device to a car, claiming it could track the vehicle and not surprisingly, the tracking is flawless, disregarding the fact that there might be GPS blind spots like valleys and skyscrapers, but with Nano Spider, what we used to sneer at could be a reality after all.
