Curiosity Lab is excited to welcome MerlinTPS to the Curiosity Lab deployment program, where the company is conducting its first field deployment of terrestrial positioning and timing technology at the Curiosity Lab Innovation Center in Peachtree Corners, Georgia.
MerlinTPS is developing a positioning and timing system designed to work when GPS does not. Its technology uses terrestrial broadcast signals to help provide location, navigation, and timing capabilities in environments where GPS or GNSS signals may be weak, unavailable, or unreliable.
Positioning technology powers far more than maps and turn-by-turn directions. Reliable location and timing data are critical for transportation, logistics, infrastructure systems, autonomous technologies, emergency response, national security, and many other applications that increasingly depend on accurate, resilient navigation.
Testing Positioning & Timing Technology in a Real-World Environment
As part of its deployment with Curiosity Lab, MerlinTPS has installed temporary antenna-based equipment on the rooftop of the Curiosity Lab Innovation Center, with cabling routed to indoor reference equipment located inside the building. The deployment allows MerlinTPS to test positioning and timing performance within and around the Curiosity Lab environment as part of a Terrestrial Positioning Solution project supported through a grant from the U.S. DOT Volpe Center.
“As Peachtree Corners continues to grow its infrastructure for emerging technologies, it is important that we create an environment that can support not only today’s mobility and drone technologies, but the next generation of connected and autonomous systems,” said Seth Yurman, Deputy City Manager of Peachtree Corners. “Reliable positioning is a critical part of that infrastructure. MerlinTPS’s work on an alternative to GPS is especially relevant as we look at how future technologies can operate reliably in real-world environments, and we’re excited to support that testing here in the city.”
For this project, MerlinTPS is using a stationary reference antenna with access to broadcast signals. The system is receive-only, designed to gather signal information for testing and validation rather than transmit new signals from the rooftop.
The primary objective of the deployment is to support successful completion of the U.S. DOT Volpe project, with a target of achieving one-meter positioning accuracy and 1 nanosecond time precision.
Why GPS Resilience Matters
GPS has become part of the invisible infrastructure of daily life. It helps systems understand where they are, when events occur, and how assets move across physical space. But GPS can be limited by buildings, interference, signal blockage, intentional disruption, or environments where satellite-based positioning is not consistently available.
MerlinTPS is working on an alternative approach that can support more resilient positioning. By using terrestrial broadcast signals, the company’s technology is designed to provide location and timing capabilities especially in conditions where GPS may struggle.
For sectors like intelligent logistics and last-mile systems, that resilience can be especially important. Delivery networks, connected fleets, autonomous systems, and infrastructure platforms all depend on accurate, reliable positioning to operate safely and efficiently.
From Member Company to Field Deployment
MerlinTPS is already part of the Curiosity Lab ecosystem as a member company with offices located at the Innovation Center. Working with Curiosity Lab gives the company a new opportunity to move from development into real-world testing in the same environment where it is building its business.
“Curiosity Lab gives us the ability to test in a real operating environment while staying closely connected to the team, infrastructure, and ecosystem around us,” said Chris Kocks, President and Co-founder of MerlinTPS. “This is an important field deployment for MerlinTPS, and it gives us the opportunity to validate our terrestrial positioning approach as we work toward U.S. DOT Volpe project milestones and future commercial and federal opportunities.”
Once successful, the deployment will help MerlinTPS move toward formal publication of test results, OEM integration opportunities, and future federal contracts.
Supporting the Next Stage of Growth
For MerlinTPS, this deployment is a critical step in proving how its technology performs outside of controlled development settings. Real-world field testing allows the company to evaluate system performance, refine technical assumptions, and generate the kind of validation that can support future customer, partner, and government conversations.
The deployment also reflects the role Curiosity Lab is designed to play for emerging technology companies: providing a real-world environment where promising technologies can be tested, validated, and brought closer to scale.
“At Curiosity Lab, we aim to be more than a test site — we want to be a design partner and real-world test bed for emerging technology companies,” said Pouyan Azizpour, Innovation Program Manager at Curiosity Lab. “We work with startups to design deployment and validation environments around their specific technical, operational, and infrastructure needs, including companies working alongside government partners such as the U.S. Department of Transportation. Our goal is not only to help validate the technology, but to help startups build the real-world traction, partnerships, and evidence they need for their next stage of growth.”
Curiosity Lab is a living laboratory for place-based deployment, where connected mobility, infrastructure, logistics, and other emerging technologies are built, tested, and brought to life in an active city. Located in Peachtree Corners, part of metro Atlanta, Curiosity Lab helps startups, corporate innovation teams, universities, and global partners deploy and validate next-generation technologies in real-world operating conditions.
Building the Future of Intelligent Logistics and Resilient Infrastructure
MerlinTPS joins a curated group of companies in the Curiosity Lab deployment program working across connected and autonomous mobility, connected infrastructure and edge systems, intelligent logistics and last-mile technologies, secure connected systems, and other emerging technology sectors.
Curiosity Lab’s deployment model is intentionally selective, with projects evaluated based on strategic alignment, technical readiness, safety, feasibility, and potential value to the broader innovation ecosystem. For companies ready to test, demo, or validate technology in a real operating environment, Curiosity Lab provides access to infrastructure, ecosystem connections, and a collaborative deployment process designed to help emerging technologies move from pilot-stage learning to real-world impact.
Companies interested in exploring a future deployment at Curiosity Lab can learn more and complete the Deployment Intake Form.
Welcome to deployment at Curiosity Lab, MerlinTPS! We’re excited to support your first field deployment in Peachtree Corners.