Product - TDK launches DRIVE to unlock control-grade accuracy for advanced vehicle platforms
- Trusted Positioning
- Oct 1
- 5 min read
- Inertial positioning solution enables OEMs to commercialize ADAS, robotics, and off-road platforms without the cost of full-scale navigation systems
- Now available, DRIVE delivers control-grade accuracy without perception sensors
TDK Corporation (TSE:6762) launches Trusted Positioning DRIVE, an integrated GNSS and INS software solution, designed for advanced driver-assist systems (ADAS), robotic, and off-road vehicle platforms. DRIVE provides centimeter to decimeter level accuracy in real-world environments where GNSS alone is unreliable, providing customers the ability to scale and commercialize advanced control technologies economically.
High-end inertial navigation systems deliver the accuracy needed for control, but their price and hardware complexity -are not feasible or practical to scale. On the other hand, basic telematics are affordable but not reliable or responsive enough for autonomy. DRIVE bridges this gap with a right-sized navigation solution, achieving the reliability needed to deploy advanced platforms without requiring expensive perception sensors.
“Next-generation vehicles and machines need positioning that is accurate, available and affordable for commercialization of advanced control systems,” said Chris Goodall, President of Trusted Positioning. “With DRIVE, we’re giving customers flexible embedded software solution that can be deployed across a wide range of platforms—helping them accelerate innovation in autonomy, ADAS, and robotics.”
DRIVE is available immediately for trial evaluation or software integration.
Glossary
- OEM: Original Equipment Manufacturer
- GNSS: Global Navigation Satellite System, such as GPS, used for global positioning
- INS: Inertial Navigation System, which uses gyroscopes and accelerometers to track movement
- RTK: Real-Time Kinematic, a correction technique that improves GNSS accuracy to the centimeter level
- ADAS: Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, technology that supports drivers with safety and control features
Main applications
- Driver-assist platforms that need stable positioning through tunnels, bridges, and urban canyons
- Industrial and off-road vehicles, construction sites Agriculture, or GNSS compromised environments
- Logistics applications requiring lane- or sidewalk-level positioning accuracy
- Semi-autonomous machines and wheeled platforms advancing toward Level 2+ autonomy
Main features and benefit
- Maintains accurate and reliable positioning: it delivers position, velocity, and orientation during on-road and off-road maneuvers
- Built for tough GNSS environments: Continues delivering positioning when satellite signals are weak or unavailable
- Ego velocity estimation: Reports vehicle-relative speed and direction for control systems
- Integrity monitoring: Actively verifies signal and sensor consistency for safety-critical applications
- Hot start: Navigation resumes immediately after power-down
- RTK support: Compatible with high-accuracy RTK corrections from any capable GNSS receiver
- Streamlined integration: Flexible calibration, broad GNSS and IMU support, and pre-validated software for faster deployment
About TDK Corporation
TDK Corporation (TSE:6762) is a global technology company and innovation leader in the electronics industry, based in Tokyo, Japan. With the tagline “In Everything, Better” TDK aims to realize a better future across all aspects of life, industry, and society. For over 90 years, TDK has shaped the world from within; from the pioneering ferrite cores to cassette tapes that defined an era, to powering the digital age with advanced components, sensors, and batteries, leading the way towards a more sustainable future. United by TDK Venture Spirit, a start-up mentality built on visions, courage and mutual trust, TDK’s passionate team members around the globe pursue better—for ourselves, customers, partners, and the world. Today, the state-of-the-art technologies of TDK are in everything, from industrial applications, energy systems, electric vehicles, to smartphones and gaming, at the core of modern life. TDK’s comprehensive, innovative-driven portfolio includes cutting-edge passive components, sensors and sensor systems, power supplies, lithium-ion and solid-state batteries, magnetic heads, AI and enterprise software solutions, and more—featuring numerous market-leading products. These are marketed under the product brands TDK, EPCOS, InvenSense, Micronas, Tronics, TDK-Lambda, TDK SensEI, and ATL. Positioning the AI ecosystem as a key strategic area, TDK leverages its global network across the automotive, information and communication technology, and industrial equipment sectors to expand its business in a wide range of fields. In fiscal 2025, TDK posted total sales of USD 14.4 billion and employed about 105,000 people worldwide.
About Trusted Positioning
Trusted Positioning, a TDK group company, delivers embedded software solutions that solve some of the world’s toughest positioning challenges. Based in Calgary, Canada, the team combines decades of expertise in inertial navigation, geomagnetic positioning, GNSS, and wireless technologies such as BLE and Wi-Fi.
Trusted Positioning’s software products—TRACK, RIDE, DRIVE, AUTO, and VENUE—provide scalable solutions for industries ranging from automotive and robotics to logistics and wearables. By fusing sensors already built into devices, Trusted Positioning enables reliable location performance both indoors and outdoors, without costly infrastructure or added hardware. With a focus on efficiency, flexibility, and commercialization at scale, Trusted Positioning helps global OEMs bring advanced positioning capabilities to market faster.
Further information on the products can be found under https://trustedpositioning.tdk.com/drive
Key takeaways observed across all cities:
Reliable tunnel tracking with no GNSS
Smooth handoffs when signals return
Minimal drift during satellite loss
“AUTO showed exactly what we needed to see: real-world resilience, not just lab-grade accuracy.” – Chris Goodall, Managing Director and President at TDK Trusted Positioning.
Why This Matters
Vehicle systems today require reliable positioning for more than just navigation:
ADAS features (like lane centering or adaptive cruise) rely on position and heading
Sensor calibration and alignment depend on accurate vehicle state
Autonomy stacks require reliable fallback when LiDAR or GNSS are degraded
Connected vehicle systems synchronize based on consistent location estimates
AUTO delivers a robust, software-only solution to all of the above.
Who It’s For
AUTO is ideal for:
Audience | Benefit |
OEMs & Tier 1s | Software-only solution for GNSS gaps |
ADAS teams | Consistent positioning for feature reliability |
Autonomous vehicle developers | Resilient fallback during GNSS outage |
Engineering & test teams | Field validation of vehicle state |
AUTO integrates easily into embedded platforms and is compatible with real-time operating systems like QNX and Linux.
Try AUTO for Yourself — Free Trial Available
Want to test AUTO in your own environment?
We offer a free trial with an Evaluation Kit (EVK) — shipped directly to your location. You’ll receive:
Software license for test duration
Setup and integration support
Access to real-time evaluation data
Full documentation and onboarding guide
Request your free trial today and start testing in your own vehicle.
Book a Live Demo
If you're part of an OEM or Tier 1 team looking to evaluate AUTO for production, we also offer customized demonstrations in urban, suburban, or mixed driving conditions.
We'll walk you through:
Real-time performance side-by-side with GNSS-only systems
AUTO’s recovery behavior in degraded signal zones
Integration options for your development platform
About Trusted Positioning
Trusted Positioning, a TDK Group Company, develops software-based positioning technologies that enable devices, vehicles, and assets to maintain location accuracy in GNSS-challenged environments. Built on over a decade of sensor fusion expertise, our solutions eliminate the need for external infrastructure and deliver reliable positioning from the sensors you already have.
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