Zephr.xyz Inc.
Zephr
There is a lack of low bandwidth and low profile capabilities to map jamming/spoofing areas of impact and locate emitters for targeting.
Why it mattersZephr provides a networked GPS capability that allows sensor measurements from multiple distributed devices (e.g. Android phones) to be shared, to both map the EW battlefield and improve the accuracy/resiliency of positioning to track users. This capability is built around the concept of opportunistic syncing where users can be running without comms with local mapping capabilities, and have the ability to share data once comms are available. Overall Zephr's capabilities include: - Spoofing Detection: Android smartphones provide a variety of raw GNSS measurements (e.g. carrier-to-noise ratio, pseudorange) that Zephr uses to provide a real time spoofing detection capability. - Jamming Detection: similar to the spoofing detection above, Zephr leverages GNSS measurements to detect jamming in real time and differentiate it from natural radio frequency interference. - Jammer/Spoofer Localization: leveraging the latest test data from Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel Zephr is developing techniques to geolocate emitters of jamming and spoofing attacks. - Improved GPS Accuracy: Zephr’s networked approach allows GPS receivers to correct each other’s positions improving accuracy 3x and providing <50cm open sky accuracy for Android based TAK devices. - Geographic Pose: in addition to x,y,z positioning Zephr’s SDK can also provide high accuracy orientation (6DOF) allowing the device to know what the user is looking at. - Device Integration: these capabilities are offered as an SDK for Android/TAK devices, and also provide support for the 5G 3GPP protocol to network other GPS/GNSS receivers.
About
Problem
Jamming and spoofing attacks challenges PNT across the globe. T-ROK systems are expensive, large profile (targets) that need a lot of bandwidth to network.
Solution
Zephr has built a capability to use smartphones (TAK devices) to create a sensor network to map areas of jamming/spoofing impact and geolocate emitters for targeting. It can run locally or networked.
Field Validation
The Zephr system has been extensively tested against jamming in Ukraine as well as teleportation/push spoofers in Israel. The team will be testing at APEX, Jammertest and UK NAVWAR. Technology Maturity (TRL): TRL 7
Strategic Advantage
Zephr uses the cheap omni-directional smartphone antennas to determine directionality + magnitude of jamming/spoofing attacks. Our multi-receiver networking capability fuses data into a COP. Patents 12,038,513, 12,061,268, 12,117,533
Go-to-Market
The team has a D2P2 SBIR with AFRL to integrate with TAK. We've also worked with the NSIN Propel program, attending exercises above and partnered with TAG the MGUE prime.
Dual-Use Potential
Zephr's commercial positioning system and AI navigation for smartphones is being piloted by Honda, Suzuki, Meta, Grab, Uber, Overture, Ericsson, Rx Networks, Amazon and Samsung
Team
The Zephr team has built three previous startup in the geospatial domain with exits to ESRI, Maxar and Snapchat. The team is over 50% PhD's.
Primary User
TAK users in contested environments - specifically CEWOs in SOCOM, Army, AFSOC
Problem
There is a lack of low bandwidth and low profile capabilities to map jamming/spoofing areas of impact and locate emitters for targeting.