Building a local positioning system to track runners using Ultra-Wideband
At the 12Urenloop, a 12-hour relay race in Ghent, Zeus WPI replaced their Bluetooth-based lap counting with a custom Ultra-Wideband (UWB) positioning system. Using cheap ESP32s and DWM3000 modules, they built a multi-tag, multi-anchor setup that tracks runners in real time. The system synchronizes anchors via UWB messages, achieving 10 position updates per second per tag. After successful tests, they plan to integrate tags into batons and expand to 7-10 anchors for full circuit coverage.
What you build yourself is usually cheaper.
- oezi
> 10 USD per Module isn't really competitive with disposable RFID. Great for a relay though it seems!
- coinfused
The 24-hour run (counterpart of this event from University of Leuven) has their counting system open-sourced here (although it's no longer used I think):
https://github.com/ULYSSIS-KUL/ipp/
Great blog post @robinpdev!
- bradleyy
This is a really cool idea, and now I'm thinking about adapting this for racecars; the telemetry and live tracking possibilities seem fantastic.