Smartwatches achieve centimeter-level accuracy with new tracking algorithms (techxplore.com)

Researchers at the University of Otago, working with Google’s Android Context group and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have for the first time demonstrated centimeter‑level GNSS positioning on a commercial smartwatch. Using algorithms that exploit carrier‑phase measurements (the technique behind RTK) and recent advances in smartwatch hardware, the team showed a smartwatch maintaining cm‑level location precision over a four‑hour stationary test. Their paper reports instantaneous, single‑frequency multi‑GNSS cm‑level results and includes a comparison to Google Pixel 5 smartphones. This is significant because carrier‑phase positioning historically required specialized antennas and receivers that are costly and power‑hungry; bringing that capability to wearables could democratize high‑precision location for surveying, construction, AR, sports tracking and health monitoring. Technically, the work proves that modern watch radios and GNSS stacks can capture and process carrier‑phase data well enough for RTK‑style performance, though the demonstration was stationary and likely relied on post‑processing or correction data. The result is a proof‑of‑concept that shifts the boundary of what consumer wearables can do, while leaving open questions about robustness during motion, real‑time corrections, antenna effects, and energy costs before broad deployment.