{"id":16803,"date":"2026-08-26T09:35:52","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T09:35:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=16803"},"modified":"2026-08-26T09:35:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T09:35:52","slug":"gps-cannot-work-everywhere-so-scientists-tested-a-new-navigation-system-that-uses-cosmic-rays-instead-of-satellites-to-make-it-work-under-water-and-rocks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=16803","title":{"rendered":"GPS cannot work everywhere, so scientists tested a new navigation system that uses Cosmic rays instead of satellites to make it work under water and rocks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-133534677,imgsize-56364,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/cosmic.jpg\" alt=\"GPS cannot work everywhere, so scientists tested a new navigation system that uses Cosmic rays instead of satellites to make it work under water and rocks\" title=\"Image credit: 2015 Hiroyuki K.M. Tanaka (via Ars Technica)\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"Image credit: 2015 Hiroyuki K.M. Tanaka (via Ars Technica)\">Image credit: 2015 Hiroyuki K.M. Tanaka (via Ars Technica)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/topic\/gps\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GPS<\/a> has become essential for navigation. But there is one major limitation: GPS signals cannot travel through water, rocks or deep underground spaces. To address the problem, scientists in Japan are now testing an alternative navigation system that uses particles from cosmic rays instead of satellites.<!-- --> According to a report by Ars Technica, the system is called the Muometric Wireless Navigation System, or MuWNS. It uses naturally occurring particles known as muons to determine location in places where GPS cannot work, including underground, indoors and underwater.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"4\"\/>The researchers say the technology could one day help guide robots during search and rescue operations, support autonomous vehicles in underground spaces and improve navigation in places where satellite signals are unavailable.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"8\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>How cosmic rays could help navigation work underground and underwater<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Cosmic rays constantly produce particles called muons that fall across the Earth. Unlike GPS radio signals, muons can pass through dense materials, including water and large amounts of rock.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"11\"\/>\u201cCosmic ray muons fall evenly across the Earth and always travel at the same speed no matter what material they pass through, penetrating even kilometers of rock,\u201d Hiroyuki Tanaka of the University of Tokyo said.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"13\"\/>\u201cNow, using muons, we\u2019ve developed a new type of GPS, which we\u2019ve called muPS, that works underground, indoors, and underwater.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"16\"\/>The technology works by using reference stations placed above ground along with a receiver that detects muons below the surface. By measuring the particles and using synchronized clocks, the system can calculate the location of the receiver.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"18\"\/>Muon technology is not entirely new. Scientists have previously used muons to study volcanoes, examine ancient structures and search for hidden spaces inside pyramids. The Japanese researchers are now exploring whether the same particles can help solve a different problem: navigation without satellite signals.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"21\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>Scientists tested the system by walking through a building basement<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Earlier versions of the system required the receiver to be connected to a ground station with wires, limiting where it could be used. The new MuWNS system is wireless and uses accurate quartz clocks to synchronize the reference stations and receiver.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"25\"\/>For a test, researchers placed reference stations on the sixth floor of a building while a person carrying the receiver walked through corridors in the basement. The system tracked the person&#8217;s route and was able to reconstruct the path taken.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"28\"\/>The researchers reported an accuracy of between 2 and 25 metres, with a range of up to 100 metres.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"30\"\/>\u201cThis is as good as, if not better than, single-point GPS positioning over the ground in urban areas,\u201d Tanaka said. However, he added that the technology is still far from being ready for everyday use. \u201cPeople need an accuracy of one meter, and the key to that is time synchronization.\u201d<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/technology\/tech-news\/gps-cannot-work-everywhere-so-scientists-tested-a-new-navigation-system-that-uses-cosmic-rays-instead-of-satellites-to-make-it-work-under-water-and-rocks\/articleshow\/133534634.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Image credit: 2015 Hiroyuki K.M. Tanaka (via Ars Technica) GPS has become essential for navigation. But there is one major limitation: GPS signals cannot travel through water, rocks or deep underground spaces. To address the problem, scientists in Japan are now testing an alternative navigation system that uses particles from cosmic rays instead of satellites. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16804,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cosmic.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cosmic.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cosmic.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cosmic.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cosmic.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cosmic.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cosmic.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cosmic.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cosmic.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cosmic.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cosmic.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cosmic.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cosmic.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cosmic.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"Image credit: 2015 Hiroyuki K.M. Tanaka (via Ars Technica) GPS has become essential for navigation. But there is one major limitation: GPS signals cannot travel through water, rocks or deep underground spaces. To address the problem, scientists in Japan are now testing an alternative navigation system that uses particles from cosmic rays instead of satellites. 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