The Berlin startup MOXZ has launched a new pilot project in collaboration with Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG). The aim is to locate the trains on the U2 underground line with meter-level accuracy using real-time tracking in order to announce the next arrival on the platform displays more reliably and accurately – without the need for GPS or a line of sight. MOXZ is part of the xG Incubator of Fraunhofer HHI and the Technical University of Berlin, a support program for startups working on communication technologies in the 5G/6G field. The aim of the support program is to reduce unilateral dependencies with regard to future communication technologies with the help of a powerful start-up and innovation system.
Innovative key technology for 6G communication systems
The radio technology developed by MOXZ enables integrated wireless digital communication and positioning (ISAC – Integrated Sensing and Communication) using a specially patented radio waveform. This MOXZ waveform has been developed for highly reflective environments, such as tunnels or indoor areas. The MOXZ waveform not only enables reliable data transmission, but also allows the propagation times of the individual propagation paths to be determined accurately, enabling real-time positioning accurate to the meter, independent of existing infrastructures such as mobile networks or GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System). Radio technologies with ISAC functionality therefore represent an interesting option for the 6G systems of the future.
Over the next few months, this technology will be used to set up a tunnel radio system in the subways and stations on the U2 line. The MOXZ radio devices will then use time-of-flight measurement to determine the exact position, speed, and arrival time of the subway between the interconnected stations every second. Based on the known route data, geo-coordinates accurate to the meter are now being generated, which will make passenger displays more precise in the future. In the next step, this data will also be transferred to the passenger displays in the trains themselves.
“Our MOXZ tunnel radio system is the world's first radio solution that enables reliable, meter-accurate real-time positioning without line of sight. Continuous train positioning therefore requires only a few radio devices in the tunnels and can therefore be implemented with much less effort and cost than a sensor-based positioning system,” says Philipp Walk, CEO & Co-Founder of MOXZ GmbH, about the pilot project.
Fraunhofer HHI is shaping the future of telecommunications
With its xG Incubator, Fraunhofer HHI, in cooperation with the Technical University of Berlin and Science & Startups, is advancing 6G technologies within Berlin's dynamic start-up and research ecosystem. Access to xG-RIC laboratories, test environments, and expertise for prototyping, testing, and validation helps founders and researchers turn their ideas into effective solutions.
Learn more about MOXZ here. Information about the xG Incubator, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR), can be found here.