Free e-book: Discover the world of AIoT
E-book: Discover the world of AIoT

Indoor Navigation: The technology behind a seamless journey

Stop getting lost. We engineer custom indoor navigation solutions that deliver centimeter-level accuracy, real-time guidance, and valuable insights for businesses and users.
needCode IoT

We work with Industry Leaders

The challenges with Indoor Navigation

In complex indoor environments, where GPS is unreliable, a lack of precise navigation leads to significant operational and financial liabilities. We have identified core challenges that can compromise your bottom line.

Accuracy and scale

Achieving high-accuracy positioning across large, complex indoor environments, where GPS is unavailable and traditional solutions often fail, is a major challenge.

Integration with user experience

The challenge of transforming raw location data into a seamless, real-time user experience, from turn-by-turn navigation to location-based services, requires deep technical expertise.

Complex deployment

The time-consuming and error-prone process of manually calibrating every anchor in a network is impractical for large buildings or temporary setups.

Lack of actionable data

The missed opportunity to gain valuable insights from user movement, such as foot traffic patterns, popular areas, and bottlenecks, prevents data-driven decision-making.

Our solutions

Our expertise in indoor navigation goes beyond standard solutions. We deliver a complete, modular ecosystem that connects hardware, software, and analytics into a cohesive, purpose-built system.

01

The infrastructure for precision

UWB & BLE positioning

We leverage a hybrid approach, combining UWB for centimeter-level accuracy with BLE for cost-effective, wide-coverage tracking. This ensures reliable performance in diverse environments, from open spaces to cluttered corridors.

Autopositioning anchors

We eliminate the need for manual calibration of every anchor with our unique autopositioning anchors. This solution simplifies infrastructure setup, reducing deployment time from days to minutes, ideal for dynamic events or large commercial spaces.

Multi-protocol gateways

Our gateways act as the central hub, connecting all tags and anchors to the wider network. They seamlessly integrate a wide range of protocols, from UWB and BLE for location data, to LTE-M and Wi-Fi for backhaul communication, ensuring a robust and reliable network foundation.

02

The software intelligence for action

Advanced location engine

Our core location engine is a hero block that delivers centimeter-level accuracy using UWB and advanced algorithms. We use Kalman filters and Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) to enhance performance in challenging indoor settings.

Multi-source event correlation

Our Multi-Source Event Correlation Engine transforms raw location data into intelligent events and insights. It combines UWB's precise position with data from other sensors (e.g., IMUs) to enable rich contextual awareness, such as a user's speed, direction, and gestures.

Automated workflows

Our systems enable precise, automated actions based on location data. We can implement Local Automation Rules Engines that trigger events—such as sending a location-based notification or turning on a light—without relying on the cloud, ensuring instant, low-latency responses.

03

Analytics and operational control

Data analytics & insights framework

We turn continuous streams of location data into actionable intelligence. Our Data Analytics & Insights Framework supports real-time analysis and historical trend exploration, enabling you to optimize facility layouts, identify bottlenecks, and improve the user experience. This framework connects the dots from our backend, processing data with analytics tools, and delivering results to dashboards, APIs, or automation systems.

Unified API layer

Our API Gateway & Integration Layer acts as a centralized access point for all location data. This simplifies integration with your existing mobile applications, content management systems, and other enterprise platforms, ensuring a seamless flow of information.

What we bring to your project

At needCode, we build complete indoor navigation ecosystems. Our modular partnership model allows us to engage at any stage of your project, ensuring a seamless and low-risk path to a smarter environment.

Defining your navigation blueprint

We begin by translating your navigation goals into a clear, technical roadmap.
  • Feasibility analysis
    We conduct a deep dive into your operational environment to define the optimal technology stack for your specific navigation challenges. We can determine whether UWB, BLE, or a multi-protocol approach is the right fit.
  • Prototyping & validation
    We utilize our library of proven building blocks to rapidly design and prototype a working proof of concept (PoC). This allows us to validate your navigation solution's core functionality in a controlled environment, minimizing upfront risk and accelerating the path to an MVP.
  • Strategic roadmap
    Our team works with you to create a comprehensive IoT Strategic Roadmap, a detailed plan that outlines the development, integration, and deployment of your system from initial concept to full-scale rollout.

Building your custom navigation solution

We deliver a complete solution tailored to your needs, whether it's a single component or a full, end-to-end system.
  • Hardware development
    We can design and engineer custom UWB Anchors and beacons that are ruggedized for industrial environments, or miniaturized for wearables. We ensure our hardware is not only robust but also perfectly suited to your specific use case.
  • Software intelligence
    We build the core software that powers your navigation ecosystem. This includes the Multi-Source Event Correlation Engine for complex event detection and the Local Automation Rules Engine for instant, on-device responses, ensuring that your system is both smart and resilient.
  • Unified integration
    We develop the necessary API gateways and integration layers to seamlessly connect your new navigation platform with your existing enterprise systems.

Deployment and continuous optimization

Our support extends beyond the product launch. We provide the tools and expertise to ensure your solution remains secure, reliable, and continuously optimized.
  • Operational support
    We provide a full suite of tools for
    remote diagnostics, field support, and secure OTA (Over-the-Air) updates, ensuring that your system remains up-to-date and reliable.
  • Data for continuous improvement
    We empower you to use the gathered navigation data to continuously optimize facility layouts, identify high-risk areas, and improve overall operational efficiency.

Where our indoor navigation solutions fit

Our modular approach allows us to deliver optimized solutions across multiple applications, solving common problems with uncommon speed and precision.

Retail & shopping malls

  • In-store navigation
    Guide customers to specific products or departments, improving the shopping experience and increasing sales.
  • Location-based marketing
    Send targeted promotions or notifications to customers based on their real-time location.
  • Consumer behavior analytics
    Analyze foot traffic patterns, popular areas, and dwell times to optimize store layouts and merchandising strategies.

Airports & public transport

  • Wayfinding
    Provide turn-by-turn navigation to gates, terminals, or services, reducing stress and improving the passenger experience.
  • Operational efficiency
    Analyze passenger flow to optimize staffing, gate allocation, and resource management.
  • Enhanced security
    Use location data to track personnel and high-value assets, improving security and emergency response times.

Warehousing & logistics

  • Optimizing picking routes
    Guide warehouse workers to the most efficient picking routes, reducing time and errors in fulfillment.
  • Asset tracking
    Use the same infrastructure to track forklifts, tools, and inventory, ensuring a single, unified system for all operational needs.
  • Safety monitoring
    Implement geofencing to automatically track the proximity of workers and vehicles, preventing accidents and ensuring compliance.

Hospitals & large campuses

  • Patient & staff wayfinding
    Provide real-time navigation for patients, visitors, and staff, reducing stress and improving operational efficiency.
  • Asset management
    Track the location of medical equipment and other assets, ensuring their availability when needed.
  • Emergency response
    In case of an emergency, our systems can provide a real-time map of staff and patient locations, helping emergency responders to quickly and efficiently locate and assist those in need.

Entertainment & hospitality

  • Visitor navigation apps
    Our solutions guide attendees through event venues, while simultaneously generating heatmaps and crowd analytics.
  • Crowd management
    Analyze visitor flow and density in real time to prevent bottlenecks, ensure safety, and optimize resource allocation.
  • Personalized experiences
    Send location-based notifications and offers to attendees, enhancing their experience and improving engagement.

Case studies

Read more in our E-books

Testimonials

“I think the key takeaway from needCode is their ability to adapt and understand the customer's requirements. That took away probably a large portion of what could have been a lot of development time and expense for both companies.”
Bob Folkestad
Bob Folkestad
President at Creative Werks
“One aspect that truly sets needCode apart is its profound expertise in firmware development. Their proficiency in various programming languages, embedded systems and hardware architecture is truly impressive. When faced with difficult problems, their strong problem-solving skills and analytical mindset shine through, allowing them to overcome obstacles with remarkable ease.”
avatar Semeh Sarhan
Semeh Sarhan
CEO at Xtrava
“I worked with needCode while leading the NWTN-Berlin team in 2018. A big chunk for our FW development has been outsourced to them and they had proven to iterate very quickly, following specs and deliver on time. It was great working with them. I recommend working with needCode’s team on any Embedded SW development.”
avatar Marco Salvioli Mariani
Marco Salvioli Mariani
CTO at NWTN Berlin GmbH
“needCode Team proved to be one of the best engineers I have ever met. The part I like the most about the team is the more difficult an obstacle seems to be, the more motivated they were to find a solution and a way forward.”
A Testimonial picture
Szymon Słupnik
CTO at Silvair
“needCode is an outstanding partner. Their quick follow-up, scalability, and extensive professional network set them apart. Their expertise in wireless technologies has been valuable, supporting us from low-level drivers to architecture discussions.”
avatar Tim Allemeersch
Tim Allemeersch
Director at Qorvo, Inc.
“needCode did a great job improving the firmware of the Vai Kai connected toys and developing new features, surpassing our expectations multiple times. I would definitely recommend hiring Bartek and needCode for the embedded software projects!”
avatar Matas Petrikas
Matas Petrikas
CEO & Co-founder
at Vai Kai UG

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Bartek Kling
Bartek Kling / CEO
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Manufacturing

Modern manufacturing machines are typically equipped with IoT sensors that capture performance data. AIoT technology analyzes this sensor data, and based on vibration patterns, the AI predicts the machine's behavior and recommends actions to maintain optimal performance. This approach is highly effective for predictive maintenance, promoting safer working environments, continuous operation, longer equipment lifespan, and less downtime. Additionally, AIoT enhances quality control on production lines.

For example, Sentinel, a monitoring system used in pharmaceutical production by IMA Pharma, employs AI to evaluate sensor data along the production line. The AI detects and improves underperforming components, ensuring efficient machine operation and maintaining high standards in drug manufacturing.

Logistics & supply chain

IoT devices - from fleet vehicles and autonomous warehouse robots to scanners and beacons - generate large amounts of data in this industry. When combined with AI, this data can be leveraged for tracking, analytics, predictive maintenance, autonomous driving, and more, offering greater visibility into logistics operations and enhancing vendor partnerships.

Example: Amazon employs over 750,000 autonomous mobile robots to assist warehouse staff with heavy lifting, delivery, and package handling tasks. Other examples include AI-powered IoT devices such as cameras, RFID sensors, and beacons that help monitor goods' movement and track products within warehouses and during transportation. AI algorithms can also estimate arrival times and forecast delays by analyzing traffic conditions.

Retail

IoT sensors monitor movement and customer flow within a building, while AI algorithms analyze this data to offer insights into traffic patterns and product preferences. This information enhances understanding of customer behavior, helps prevent stockouts, and improves customer analytics to drive sales. Furthermore, AIoT enables retailers to deliver personalized shopping experiences by leveraging geographical data and individual shopping preferences.

For instance, IoT sensors track movement and customer flow, and AI algorithms process this information to reveal insights into traffic patterns and product preferences. This ultimately leads to better customer understanding, stockout prevention, and enhanced sales analytics.

Agriculture

Recent research by Continental reveals that over 27% of surveyed farmers utilize drones for aerial land analysis. These devices capture images of crops as they are and transmit them to a dashboard for further assessment. However, AI can enhance this process even further.

For example, AIoT-powered drones can photograph crops at various growth stages, assess plant health, detect diseases, and recommend optimal harvesting strategies to maximize yield. Additionally, these drones can be employed for targeted crop treatments, irrigation monitoring and management, soil health analysis, and more.

Smart Cities

Smart cities represent another domain where AIoT applications can enhance citizens' well-being, facilitate urban infrastructure planning, and guide future city development. In addition to traffic management, IoT devices equipped with AI can monitor energy consumption patterns, forecast demand fluctuations, and dynamically optimize energy distribution. AI-powered surveillance cameras and sensors can identify suspicious activities, monitor crowd density, and alert authorities to potential security threats in real-time, improving public safety and security.

For example, an AIoT solution has been implemented in Barcelona to manage water and energy sustainably. The city has installed IoT sensors across its water supply system to gather water pressure, flow rate, and quality data. AI algorithms analyze this information to identify leaks and optimize water usage. Similarly, smart grids have been introduced to leverage AI to predict demand and distribute energy efficiently, minimizing waste and emissions. As a result, these initiatives have enabled the city to reduce water waste by 25%, increase renewable energy usage by 17%, and lower greenhouse gas emissions by 19%.

Healthcare

Integrating AI and IoT in healthcare enables hospitals to deliver remote patient care more efficiently while reducing the burden on facilities. Additionally, AI can be used in clinical trials to preprocess data collected from sensors across extensive target and control groups.

For example, intelligent wearable technologies enable doctors to monitor patients remotely. In real-time, sensors collect vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure, and glucose levels. AI algorithms then analyze this data, assisting doctors in detecting issues early, developing personalized treatment plans, and enhancing patient outcomes.

Smart Homes

The smart home ecosystem encompasses smart thermostats, locks, security cameras, energy management systems, heating, lighting, and entertainment systems. AI algorithms analyze data from these devices to deliver context-specific recommendations tailored to each user. This enables homeowners to use utilities more efficiently, create a personalized living space, and achieve sustainability goals.

For example, LifeSmart offers a comprehensive suite of AI-powered IoT tools for smart homes, connecting new and existing intelligent appliances and allowing customers to manage them via their smartphones. Additionally, they provide an AI builder framework for deploying AI on smart devices, edge gateways, and the cloud, enabling AI algorithms to process data and user behavior autonomously.

Maintenance (Post-Release Support)

When your product is successfully launched and available on the market we provide ongoing support and maintenance services to ensure your product remains competitive and reliable. This includes prompt resolution of any reported issues through bug fixes and updates.

We continuously enhance product features based on user feedback and market insights, optimizing performance and user experience.

Our team monitors product performance metrics to identify areas for improvement and proactively addresses potential issues. This phase aims to sustain product competitiveness, ensure customer satisfaction, and support long-term success in the market.

Commercialization (From MVP to Product

Our software team focuses on completing the full product feature range, enhancing the user interface and experience, and handling all corner cases. We prepare product software across the whole lifecycle by providing all necessary procedures, such as manufacturing support and firmware upgrade.

We also finalize the product's hardware design to ensure robustness, scalability and cost-effectiveness.

This includes rigorous testing procedures to validate product performance, reliability, and security. We manage all necessary certifications and regulatory compliance requirements to ensure the product meets industry standards and legal obligations.

By the end of this phase, your product is fully prepared for mass production and commercial deployment, with all documentation and certifications in place.

Prototyping (From POC to MVP)

Our development team focuses on implementing core product features and use cases to create a functional Minimum Viable Product (MVP). We advance to refining the hardware design, moving from initial concepts to detailed PCB design allowing us to assemble first prototypes. Updated documentation from the Design phase ensures alignment with current project status. A basic test framework is established to conduct preliminary validation tests.

This prepares the product for real-world demonstrations to stakeholders, customers, and potential investors.

This phase is critical for validating market readiness and functionality before proceeding to full-scale production.

Design (From Idea to POC)

We meticulously select the optimal technology stack and hardware components based on your smart product idea with detailed use cases and feature requirements (Market Requirements Document / Business Requirements Document). Our team conducts thorough assessments of costs, performance metrics, power consumption, and resource requirements.

Deliverables include a comprehensive Product Requirements Document (PRD), detailed Software Architecture plans, an Initial Test Plan outlining validation strategies, Regulatory Compliance Analysis to ensure adherence to relevant standards, and a Proof of Concept (POC) prototype implemented on breakout boards.

This phase aims to validate the technical feasibility of your concept and establish a solid foundation for further development.

If you lack a validated idea and MRD/BRD, consider utilizing our IoT Strategic Roadmap service to gain insights into target markets, user needs, and desired functionality. Having a structured plan in the form of an IoT Strategic Roadmap before development begins is crucial to mitigate complications in subsequent product development phases.