Researchers at the University of Tokyo have used muons, subatomic particles, to navigate underground in what is being called a world first. The technology uses muon-detecting ground stations synchronised with an underground muon-detecting receiver to calculate the receiver’s position in the basement of a six-storey building. The technology, called the muometric positioning system (muPS), could be used in future search and rescue efforts, to monitor undersea volcanoes, and guide autonomous vehicles underground and underwater. GPS signals are weaker at higher latitudes and can be jammed or spoofed, while signals can also be reflected off surfaces like walls, interfered with by trees, and can’t pass through buildings, rock or water. By comparison, muons fall constantly and frequently around the world and can’t be tampered with.
