Military-funded research looks for the secret to GPS-free navigation in a bird’s eye

[rangerrebew]

Military-funded research looks for the secret to GPS-free navigation in a bird’s eye
Todd South
 

Military-funded scientists have isolated a protein present in the eye of a migratory bird that may explain how our feathered friends travel vast distances without a map — and how future soldiers might use that ability to fight without GPS.

The research is in an early stage and it is not likely to be in the hands of soldiers in the next few years. But it could ultimately lead to direct applications or unforeseen opportunities in other areas of research and military development.

Researchers have hypothesized for decades about how birds, fish, sea turtles and insects may be using the Earth’s magnetic field to navigate on long-range patterns across the globe.

https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2021/07/28/military-funded-research-looks-for-the-secret-gps-free-navigation-in-a-birds-eye/

[AARguy]

What happened to Inertial Guidance Systems (INS)? Ft Benning used personal INS for years. Built by Rockwell and fielded by a small company called CHI, it consisted of a small box about half the size of a pack of cigarettes. The box was filled with oil and had a small ferrous chip in it that floated freely. As the individual moved, the floating chip had forces acting on it which caused it to move within the oil. This "dampened" movement was measured and the actual movement of the individual in distance and direction could be measured. It was used not only at Benning to help keep track of Soldiers, but was used in other GPS environments like First Responders in collapsed buildings or miners in coal and other mining facilities. It was successfully demonstrated with FEMA at their underground (tunnel) training facility in West Virginia.