ANELLO Photonics
Enabling Precision Navigation in GPS-denied Environments

ANELLO Photonics is a Silicon Valley-based innovator in optical gyroscopes and inertial navigation systems (INS). ANELLO’s journey began with the development of the Silicon Photonics Optical Gyro (SiPhOG^TM) presenting a novel way to enhance accuracy of position, navigation, and timing (PNT) measurements in GPS-denied and contested environments.

The mastermind behind this technology—Dr. Mario Paniccia—is a seasoned silicon photonics expert who foresaw the limitations of traditional gyroscopes in addressing modern navigation demands. Committed to mitigating these barriers, he teamed up with a group of visionaries including Mike Horton a world-renowned sensor expert and together they laid the foundation for ANELLO Photonics. Together, the team built the world’s smallest optical gyroscope, providing high accuracy in a compact and affordable form factor. This integrated photonics “system-on-chip” technology is the cornerstone of ANELLO’s range of products which help solve real-world navigation challenges in GPS-denied environments.

Its first offering launched in the summer of 2023, the ANELLO GNSS INS system, is an optical gyro inertial navigation system, meticulously developed to enhance the efficiency of autonomous land vehicles, particularly in GPS-denied environments. Ideal for agricultural, construction, trucking as well as Defense applications, the ANELLO GNSS INS effectively maintains a sub-30-centimeter precision, even in GPS-denied or contested environments. The ANELLO GNSS INS can facilitate extended drive distances from 60 to 100 kilometers with a tolerance of less than one hundred meters of lateral error, equating to a deviation of merely 0.1 to 0.2 percent of the total distance traveled.

The remarkable success of the ANELLO GNSS INS system spurred the development of the ANELLO IMU+. This cutting-edge solution leverages ANELLO’s optical gyroscope technology for various applications without any GPS signal, such as robotics, construction and mining.

Leading the Game of Innovation

“Innovation is not just a one-time process at ANELLO, but deeply ingrained in our DNA,” says Dr. Paniccia, CEO of ANELLO. “We breathe and live innovation, and bring novel solutions to address the ongoing and upcoming navigation demands of our customers.”

Continuing its innovation streak, ANELLO has developed the ANELLO X3 as the world’s smallest, lightest, and low-power tri-axial IMU which helps cement ANELLO’s position as a leader in the navigation space. Unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Jan 8, 2024 the ANELLO X3 uses three ANELLO SiPhOGs, measures only 8 cubic inches and can easily fit in the palm of your hand. The ANELLO X3 is ideally suited for aerial (e.g. unmanned drones), underwater applications (e.g. underwater UAVs) where GPS signals are unavailable or unreliable. The ANELLO X3’s unparalleled precision and tri-axial capabilities guarantee resilience in all conditions, making it an ideal solution for numerous applications where size, weight, power, reliability, and precise navigation are paramount.

Whether in complex indoor environments, poor GPS coverage areas, or regions with deliberate network or signal jamming, as experienced in today’s regions of conflict, the ANELLO X3 facilitates continuous business operations by providing robust and reliable autonomy and seamless navigation, independent of external factors.

The ANELLO X3 combines advanced hardware and AI algorithms, allowing Drones, UAVs or land vehicles to cover distances of up to 10 kilometers with sub-hundred-meter lateral accuracy without GPS guidance. AI algorithms continually analyze gyroscope data to assess the reliability of available GPS signals, comparing to the onboard optical gyroscope and ensuring when or not to rely on the GPS signal, thus minimizing the risk of jamming or spoofing. The advanced ANELLO SiPhOG technology also allows the ANELLO X3 to support additional use cases such as surveying and mapping, that rely on precise navigation and positioning on all three axes.

Customer Centricity

Beyond its technical mastery, ANELLO’s excellence is also rooted in a customer-centric philosophy, which allows clients to quickly test its solutions in a real-world environment. This approach allows clients to closely work with the ANELLO team while testing the ANELLO technology to best determine fit while providing continuous feedback to the ANELLO team.

The testing process begins with delivering ANELLO evaluation kits to clients that allow them to integrate and test its systems for a specific period. Throughout this process, the ANELLO team remains committed to providing comprehensive support and guiding clients at every step. The team supports clients with installations, on-site or remotely, ensuring accurate setup and value extraction for the customer. The ANELLO team also helps clients with data analysis and obtaining performance metrics to comprehensively assess the viability of ANELLO’s solutions.

The evaluation period is then followed by determining the next steps around deployment in a customer environment. The process entails identifying the unit quantities, timelines, and potential future upgrades. The teams then integrate customer needs into the production plans for seamless delivery and installation. Communication is integral to ANELLO’s operations, allowing it to address all concerns and ensure customer satisfaction. This enables ANELLO to stay true to its objectives of solving real-world operational challenges for its customers.

“A better understanding of a customer’s product roadmap enables us to not only offer optimal support but also to continuously optimize our algorithms and firmware,” says Gerhard Boiciuc, VP of Business Development and Partnerships at ANELLO.

Grown from developing the core SiPhOG technology to building a whole suite of INS products, ANELLO today focuses on scaling up production to meet the increasing customer demand. As ANELLO ramps up production, the company in parallel tailors its algorithms for specific use cases, addressing the diverse requirements around aerial drones, underwater vehicles and land-based applications. Whether navigating through tunnels, orchards, urban canyons or mines, ANELLO’s solutions offer unparalleled precision, empowering clients to navigate confidently through any GPS-denied environments. Customers interested in evaluating the ANELLO optical gyro technology should connect with the team at info@anellophotonics.com.

In the swiftly advancing realm of navigation technology, ANELLO’s SiPhOG is set to revolutionize how we navigate the world around us. With its unparalleled precision and reliability, ANELLO's optical gyro technology is destined to become the cornerstone of navigation systems in the future. From guiding autonomous vehicles through bustling city streets in the future, to enabling precise positioning in consumer devices like smartphones and wearables, ANELLO’s SiPhOG technology promises to be ubiquitous and empowering a future where navigation is seamless, efficient, and effortlessly integrated into our everyday world.