SLAM vs SPARC The original patent was filed in 2008, since then there have been many technological advances in GPS free navigation. One of them is SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) which allows for a drone to make a map of the terrain on the fly and navigate autonomously to avoid hazards. An example of this technology is vSLAM, ie visual SLAM.
vSLAM is being used by drone giant Autel Robotics (principal scientist on the project is an ex Google, Amazon, Nvidia tech TITAN) to develop autonomous drones. They recently conducted a 300m high test flight and had centimetre level accuracy. All this accomplished with consumer grade equipment electronics and sensors!
Another widely adopted and commercialized alternative to SPARC is INS (Inertial Navigation Systems) sold by Inertial Labs to meet the needs of the military industrial complex.
How does the SPAI team and the engineers they hired compare to these two giants and the other manufacturers of drones who are already selling drones that can operate in GPS denied environments in both small and large ground and air vehicles?