How Point One Turned GPS Accuracy Into a Robotics Platform

Point One Nav CEO and co-founder Aaron Nathan explains why dependable positioning is foundational to robotics and autonomous systems. Drawing on lessons from Cornell’s 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge, Nathan discusses how RTK, GNSS, sensor fusion, and shared coordinate systems help machines navigate accurately and reliably. The conversation covers RTK’s ability to improve positioning from roughly five meters to about two centimeters, as well as its limitations under tree cover and in urban canyons. Nathan explains how combining RTK with cameras, lidar, and inertial sensors can support applications in agriculture, surveying, construction, mining, logistics, delivery drones, lawn mowers, and autonomous vehicles. He also discusses the challenges of scaling from pilot projects to production fleets, Point One Nav’s rapid growth and global expansion, the future of indoor positioning, and the upcoming FUSE location-technology conference. FUSE 2026 is happening on Nov 19, 2026 in San Francisco. Sign up for FUSE 2026 here: https://fuse.pointonenav.com/ ### This episode is sponsored by Intel: https://www.intel.com/robotics