Infrastructure
Ultra-Wideband (UWB)
ActivePublished: 9 September 2026Updated: 9 September 2026Published
Key
innovation
A very-wide-bandwidth (>500 MHz), low-energy radio technology that transmits information in short time-domain pulses, enabling precise time-of-flight distance measurement (centimeter-level accuracy).
Category
Infrastructure
Abstraction level
Building block
Operation level
Robot control
Use cases
Indoor localization (hospitals, warehouses)Precise device-to-device rangingRadar imaging (through walls)Robot indoor positioning and tracking
How it works
A transmitter emits very short radio pulses across a wide band (>500 MHz); a receiver measures the signal's time of flight (and/or angle of arrival) between devices, yielding distance and position with centimeter accuracy.
Problem solved
Precise indoor positioning and ranging where GPS is unavailable or inaccurate, at low power consumption.
Key mechanisms
Short pulses over >500 MHz bandwidth
Time-of-flight measurement
Low transmit power
Angle-of-arrival (AoA) estimation
Strengths & limitations
Strengths
✓Centimeter-level localization accuracy
✓Works where GPS fails (indoors)
✓Low power use, resilience to narrowband interference
Limitations
✗Short range
✗Requires anchor/device UWB infrastructure
✗Limited throughput versus other wireless technologies