MALNUS DAPS: Indoor Positioning Without GNSS

MeshStride shows a fire commander where every firefighter is inside a building, floor included, with no GPS and nothing installed in the building. Built with Czech firefighters.

The Problem

Existing inertial and pedestrian dead reckoning (PDR) systems accumulate errors over time. Without GNSS, even small heading errors cause 10m+ drift per kilometre. Traditional sensors also need separate, heavy radios to send data.

Firefighters get lost inside buildings. About 20 firefighters died between 1997 and 2001 after losing their way or their orientation in burning buildings. The commander outside has radios and a whiteboard, and often no idea which floor the crew is on.

MALNUS DAPS foot-mounted positioning device

Our approach: We combine unique sensors previously untested for this purpose with automotive electronics and better algorithms to keep errors under 1m per kilometre (99.9% accuracy).

How our DAPS Works: Three-Layer Approach

  1. Foot-Mounted IMU with gait recognition

  2. Dual-Foot Geometric Lock

  3. Mesh Ranging Constellation

Key Advantages

The data link is built into our system, so there’s no extra weight or cost.

Bounded-Error Accuracy

Our design target is bounded-error accuracy below 0.5m per km (0.05% / 99.95%) that holds for hours without GNSS. This target has not yet been independently verified. Our sensor fusion approach is designed to limit the drift that affects inertial-only systems.

Decentralised Architecture

Our MANET radio reports position data in a decentralised network. Every user or device repeats messages, so connectivity stays up even when some links fail.

Applications

  • Industrial Facilities: Track workers in warehouses, manufacturing plants, and underground installations
  • Emergency Response: Locate first responders, in particular firefighters, in buildings, tunnels, and disaster zones. We are preparing a pilot with the Prague fire rescue service.
  • Construction Sites: Monitor personnel and equipment in multi-story structures
  • Mining Operations: Track teams in underground environments where GNSS is unavailable
  • Healthcare Facilities: Patient and staff tracking in large hospital complexes
  • Smart Buildings: Personnel flow analysis and optimisation

Performance Specifications

MALNUS DAPS PCB
  • Accuracy: <1m error per kilometre travelled (99.9%); design target <0.5m per km (99.95%)
  • Update Rate: Real-time position updates
  • Network Topology: Self-healing mesh with cooperative positioning
  • Environment: Indoor, underground, and GNSS-denied areas
  • Integration: Compatible with standard command and control systems and IoT platforms
  • Deployment: Foot-mounted, zero-configuration setup

Built with Firefighters

We build MeshStride with firefighters, not only in a lab. We are preparing a pilot with the Prague fire rescue service.

Built with Claude

After every drill or pilot run, Claude goes through the logs from both legs and the 3D model of the building and writes the review for the commander and the crew. It shows which rooms and floors each person entered, how long they stayed, and which parts of the building nobody reached. With the optional camera it also shows which views were covered and which angles we may have missed.

It follows each person’s route, pace, stops and stairs, and where the team split up or bunched together. It also notices when the step pattern changes during a run, like a slower pace, uneven steps or unusual stops, and flags it so a human can look. That is not a medical assessment. We offer these per-person parts only where the data protection rules and the policies of the organisation using MeshStride allow it. And it shows where the position got uncertain and why, so we can fix the algorithm.

We are planning this for the first pilot runs with the Prague fire rescue service.

How It Works

DAPS combines multiple sensor readings using our algorithm to eliminate drift, while keeping the hardware lightweight and affordable. The integrated mesh radio handles both communication and positioning: one device does both jobs.

Need indoor positioning for your facility? Contact us to discuss your requirements.