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Paper proposes GPS-free navigation method using magnetic inclination and intensity gradient flow

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Zayed Herma and other authors propose in an arXiv paper to model bio-inspired magnetic navigation (BIMN) as a gradient flow control and guidance problem: within a preset region on Earth, use magnetic inclination and magnetic intensity to guide a system through intermediate waypoints to a destination. The authors state that the resulting gradient flow can act as a "water current" carrying the system in motion, and can be controlled to navigate. The authors also point out that magnetic coordinates and geographic locations are not in one-to-one correspondence, and similar magnetic signatures may appear at different locations, which introduces ambiguity and makes BIMN itself more challenging. The framework can be used to establish geomagnetic navigation infrastructure, define and follow prescribed routes, and also to analyze animal migration routes that rely on magnetoreception.