HYPE: Hybrid PNT Engine
The HYPE project aims to obtain accurate and robust performance from a hybrid PNT engine across diverse operating scenarios by exploiting the complementary strengths of traditional (white-box) and machine-learning-based (black-box) PVT estimation approaches, while ensuring verifiability and interpretability for safety-critical applications.
Black-box estimation techniques offer the potential to perform effectively in challenging and degraded environments, but their limited explainability, in contrast to white-box techniques, can pose challenges for safety-critical applications. They may also require substantial training data and face generalization challenges when applied to conditions that differ from those encountered during training.
The main goals of the project are to investigate suitable black-box estimation techniques and their trade-offs, develop a hybrid PNT engine combining both approaches using GNSS and IMU measurements, and introduce a Safety Controller capable of dynamically fusing and reconfiguring the solutions according to the operating environment and required performance. The HYPE Safety Controller builds on the technical work and experience developed in the previous VAIPOSA project.
General Info
Start Date: 1 Jul 2026
Duration: 18 months
Funding: ESA
Partners
- FBK
- University of Padova (prime)
- Qascom
Contacts
Stefano Tonetta <>
Alberto Griggio <>