A preliminary exploration of the differences and conjunction of traditional and brain-inspired navigation
Developing universal positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) remains an enduring pursuit. Today’s complex environments call for PNT systems that are more resilient, energy-efficient, and cognitively capable as human beings. As a conceptual and preliminary exploration, this paper tentatively explores how unmanned systems could potentially integrate brain-inspired spatial cognition with the high precision of traditional navigation. We offer an exploratory perspective and preliminary roadmap for the envisioned transition of PNT from ‘tool-oriented’ to ‘cognition-driven’ paradigms. Our exploratory contributions encompass: (1) a multi-level analysis of differences among traditional navigation, biological brain navigation, and brain-inspired navigation (BIN); (2) a preliminary fusion framework that integrates key elements of traditional and BIN approaches; and (3) forward-looking recommendations for the future development of BIN. This work does not purport to present a complete, experimentally validated navigation system. Additional resources can be available at: https://github.com/BINUCOE/Exploration_for_Conjunction_Different_PNT.