The Invoxia GPS Tracker pro is a small rechargeable tracker that works up to three months between charges over cell towers to pinpoint an item’s location. In the event of loss or theft of a vehicle that is being tracked they’ve included a scannable data sheet that an authority can scan and have details of the vehicle currently being tracked.

The connection to the cellular network is a subscription, so there is an ongoing cost but unlike a Bluetooth tracker this will work and report in whether there are iPhones or Androids nearby. The location update frequency can be cranked up to every 30 seconds in the event the object being tracked is actively moving, or the GPS can phone in any time it detects it’s being moved and you’ll have a device that lasts several months on a charge.

Alternately you can simply attach it to a USB in your trunk, or off of your motorcycle battery (some equipment required) and never think about power again.

While there is an around $9 a month charge for the LTE connectivity, the question becomes how much is what you’re tracking worth? Bluetooth trackers work on the kindness of nearby phone strangers, and simply getting a stolen vehicle off the beaten path can defeat them. With an LTE tracker you have to go a bit further and locate an area with no cell towers, or have a quite detectable and illegal cell phone jammer.

The base GPS Tracker Pro is $99 and the monthly service is $8.95 a month or $6.25 a month prepaid/long term (according to Amazon product description)

There’s a proximity radar in the app for when you’re in Bluetooth range to make the unit beep and find it so if you’re close it can get you closer.

You can configure alerts for movement, which I believe would be extremely useful if you’ve got this in a motorcycle and are not on said motorcycle. I will never forget informing a new rider that if you park a bike outside overnight the bike faeries come and escort the bike away. The only issue with the Invoxia GPS Tracker Pro is it’s large enough to be easily spotted in a bike’s trunk.

Nitpicking the Invoxia GPS Tracker Pro

The first thing that comes to mind with this is the theft report form – this is something that’s mailed to a police officer most likely and allows the officer to see via QR code where the tracker is currently reporting it is. Most notably missing useful information here is vehicle identification number, color, perhaps a picture of the vehicle, and contact information beyond name and email.

Thieves swap plates, but they’re probably not going to paint the vehicle and disguise the VIN

It’s a good start, but they need to talk to a police officer or someone who’s ever had their vehicle stolen.

The next thing in a similar vein is that the tracker is portable and you can swap it between vehicles or maybe just throw it in a bag for travel. I’d assume the ability to switch what you’re reporting stolen on the fly might be useful.

Next – it’s 2024, use USB-C already… the Invoxia GPS Tracker Pro has a Micro-USB connection. Come on man. A whole continent told Apple to get with the program due to cable waste already. No more Micro-USB.

There is no option to update more frequently when plugged in. This makes tracking a delivery driver less useful as they may make a stop, deliver an item, and be off before the tracker updates. If you’re paying the cell company charge for service, might as well utilize it when the device has an external power source.

And finally – for a brief time on the Invoxia website, this page in particular, there existed an article that I am told was for the wrong device. They have since removed this at my noticing, but it indicated you could send a help cry by pressing a button. Unfortunately the button is only for resetting the device, but it does seem that the software could be easily modified to report to the app when the tracker had rebooted as a backup emergency button.

Wrap-up

While I have done some nitpicking, overall this works well for a movable rechargeable tracker that stands alone. The app needs a little work, but it’s quite close to being everything I think it needs to be and I suspect they will keep working on it as long as people keep purchasing their products.

The Invoxia GPS Tracker Pro is available on Invoxia’s website and Amazon. The Amazon link is a tagged link, should you not want us to make a commission on sales just go to Amazon and search for it yourself.

GPS Tracker Pro

The Invoxia GPS Tracker Pro is a LTE-enabled tracker that does not rely on a network of strangers to locate your tracker, just a cell signal.

Product Brand: Invoxia

Product Currency: USD

Product Price: 69.95

Product In-Stock: InStock

Editor's Rating:
4

Pros

• LTE based
• In emergency mode can report location at 30 second intervals
• Rechargeable

Cons

• Cell service required
• Software needs some work

Invoxia GPS Tracker Pro – a small lightweight tracker that doesn’t rely on a network of strangers by Paul E King first appeared on Pocketables.

The Invoxia GPS Tracker pro is a small rechargeable tracker that works up to three months between charges over cell towers to pinpoint an item’s location. In the event of loss or theft of a vehicle that is being tracked they’ve included a scannable data sheet that an authority can scan and have details of the vehicle currently being tracked.

The connection to the cellular network is a subscription, so there is an ongoing cost but unlike a Bluetooth tracker this will work and report in whether there are iPhones or Androids nearby. The location update frequency can be cranked up to every 30 seconds in the event the object being tracked is actively moving, or the GPS can phone in any time it detects it’s being moved and you’ll have a device that lasts several months on a charge.

Alternately you can simply attach it to a USB in your trunk, or off of your motorcycle battery (some equipment required) and never think about power again.

While there is an around $9 a month charge for the LTE connectivity, the question becomes how much is what you’re tracking worth? Bluetooth trackers work on the kindness of nearby phone strangers, and simply getting a stolen vehicle off the beaten path can defeat them. With an LTE tracker you have to go a bit further and locate an area with no cell towers, or have a quite detectable and illegal cell phone jammer.

The base GPS Tracker Pro is $99 and the monthly service is $8.95 a month or $6.25 a month prepaid/long term (according to Amazon product description)

There’s a proximity radar in the app for when you’re in Bluetooth range to make the unit beep and find it so if you’re close it can get you closer.

You can configure alerts for movement, which I believe would be extremely useful if you’ve got this in a motorcycle and are not on said motorcycle. I will never forget informing a new rider that if you park a bike outside overnight the bike faeries come and escort the bike away. The only issue with the Invoxia GPS Tracker Pro is it’s large enough to be easily spotted in a bike’s trunk.

Nitpicking the Invoxia GPS Tracker Pro

The first thing that comes to mind with this is the theft report form – this is something that’s mailed to a police officer most likely and allows the officer to see via QR code where the tracker is currently reporting it is. Most notably missing useful information here is vehicle identification number, color, perhaps a picture of the vehicle, and contact information beyond name and email.

Thieves swap plates, but they’re probably not going to paint the vehicle and disguise the VIN

It’s a good start, but they need to talk to a police officer or someone who’s ever had their vehicle stolen.

The next thing in a similar vein is that the tracker is portable and you can swap it between vehicles or maybe just throw it in a bag for travel. I’d assume the ability to switch what you’re reporting stolen on the fly might be useful.

Next – it’s 2024, use USB-C already… the Invoxia GPS Tracker Pro has a Micro-USB connection. Come on man. A whole continent told Apple to get with the program due to cable waste already. No more Micro-USB.

There is no option to update more frequently when plugged in. This makes tracking a delivery driver less useful as they may make a stop, deliver an item, and be off before the tracker updates. If you’re paying the cell company charge for service, might as well utilize it when the device has an external power source.

And finally – for a brief time on the Invoxia website, this page in particular, there existed an article that I am told was for the wrong device. They have since removed this at my noticing, but it indicated you could send a help cry by pressing a button. Unfortunately the button is only for resetting the device, but it does seem that the software could be easily modified to report to the app when the tracker had rebooted as a backup emergency button.

Wrap-up

While I have done some nitpicking, overall this works well for a movable rechargeable tracker that stands alone. The app needs a little work, but it’s quite close to being everything I think it needs to be and I suspect they will keep working on it as long as people keep purchasing their products.

The Invoxia GPS Tracker Pro is available on Invoxia’s website and Amazon. The Amazon link is a tagged link, should you not want us to make a commission on sales just go to Amazon and search for it yourself.

GPS Tracker Pro

The Invoxia GPS Tracker Pro is a LTE-enabled tracker that does not rely on a network of strangers to locate your tracker, just a cell signal.

Product Brand: Invoxia

Product Currency: USD

Product Price: 69.95

Product In-Stock: InStock

Editor's Rating:
4

Pros

• LTE based
• In emergency mode can report location at 30 second intervals
• Rechargeable

Cons

• Cell service required
• Software needs some work

Invoxia GPS Tracker Pro – a small lightweight tracker that doesn’t rely on a network of strangers by Paul E King first appeared on Pocketables.

Schoolchildren around the world are told that they have the potential to be great, often with the cheery phrase: “The sky’s the limit!”

Gladys West took those words literally.

While working for four decades as a mathematician and computer programmer at the U.S. Naval Proving Ground (now the Naval Surface Warfare Center) in Dahlgren, Va., she prepared the way for a satellite constellation in the sky that became an indispensable part of modern life: the Global Positioning System, or GPS.

The second Black woman to ever work at the proving ground, West led a group of analysts who used satellite sensor data to calculate the shape of the Earth and the orbital routes around it. Her meticulous calculations and programming work established the flight paths now used by GPS satellites, setting the stage for navigation and positioning systems on which the world has come to rely.

For decades, West’s contributions went unacknowledged. But she has begun receiving overdue recognition. In 2018 she was inducted into the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame. In 2021 the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences presented her its Webby Lifetime Achievement Award, while the U.K. Royal Academy of Engineering gave her the Prince Philip Medal, the organization’s highest individual honor.

West was presented the 2024 IEEE President’s Award for “mathematical modeling and development of satellite geodesy models that played a pivotal role in the development of the Global Positioning System.” The award is sponsored by IEEE.

How the “hidden figure” overcame barriers

West’s path to becoming a technology professional and an IEEE honoree was an unlikely one. Born in 1930 in Sutherland, Va., she grew up working on her family’s farm. To supplement the family’s income, her mother worked at a tobacco factory and her father was employed by a railroad company.

Physical toil in the hot sun from daybreak until sundown with paltry financial returns, West says, made her determined to do something other than farming.

Every day when she ventured into the fields to sow or harvest crops with her family, her thoughts were on the little red schoolhouse beyond the edge of the farm. She recalls gladly making the nearly 5-kilometer trek from her house, through the woods and over streams, to reach the one-room school.

She knew that postsecondary education was her ticket out of farm life, so throughout her school years she made sure she was a standout student and a model of focus and perseverance.

Her parents couldn’t afford to pay for her college education, but as valedictorian of her high school class, she earned a full-tuition scholarship from the state of Virginia. Money she earned as a babysitter paid for her room and board.

West decided to pursue a degree in mathematics at Virginia State College (now Virginia State University), a historically Black school in Petersburg.

At the time, the field was dominated by men. She earned a bachelor’s degree in the subject in 1952 and became a schoolteacher in Waverly, Va. After two years in the classroom, she returned to Virginia State to pursue a master’s degree in mathematics, which she earned in 1955.

Gladys West at her desk, meticulously crunching numbers manually in the era before computers took over such tasks.Gladys West

Setting the groundwork for GPS

West began her career at the Naval Proving Ground in early 1956. She was hired as a mathematician, joining a cadre of workers who used linear algebra, calculus, and other methods to manually solve complex problems such as differential equations. Their mathematical wizardry was used to handle trajectory analysis for ships and aircraft as well as other applications.

She was one of four Black employees at the facility, she says, adding that her determination to prove the capability of Black professionals drove her to excel.

As computers were introduced into the Navy’s operations in the 1960s, West became proficient in Fortran IV. The programming language enabled her to use the IBM 7030—the world’s fastest supercomputer at the time—to process data at an unprecedented rate.

Because of her expertise in mathematics and computer science, she was appointed director of projects that extracted valuable insights from satellite data gathered during NASA missions. West and her colleagues used the data to create ever more accurate models of the geoid—the shape of the Earth—factoring in gravitational fields and the planet’s rotation.

One such mission was Seasat, which lasted from June to October 1978. Seasat was launched into orbit to test oceanographic sensors and gain a better understanding of Earth’s seas using the first space-based synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system, which enabled the first remote sensing of the Earth’s oceans.

SAR can acquire high-resolution images at night and can penetrate through clouds and rain. Seasat captured many valuable 2D and 3D images before a malfunction caused the satellite to be taken down.

Enough data was collected from Seasat for West’s team to refine existing geodetic models to better account for gravity and magnetic forces. The models were important for precisely mapping the Earth’s topography, determining the orbital routes that would later be used by GPS satellites, as well as documenting the spatial relationships that now let GPS determine exactly where a receiver is.

In 1986 she published the “Data Processing System Specifications for the GEOSAT Satellite Radar Altimeter” technical report. It contained new calculations that could make her geodetic models more accurate. The calculations were made possible by data from the radio altimeter on the GEOSAT, a Navy satellite that went into orbit in March 1985.

West’s career at Dahlgren lasted 42 years. By the time she retired in 1998, all 24 satellites in the GPS constellation had been launched to help the world keep time and handle navigation. But her role was largely unknown.

A model of perseverance

Neither an early bout of imposter syndrome nor the racial tensions that were an everyday element of her work life during the height of the Civil Rights Movement were able to knock her off course, West says.

In the early 1970s, she decided that her career advancement was not proceeding as smoothly as she thought it should, so she decided to go to graduate school part time for another degree. She considered pursuing a doctorate in mathematics but realized, “I already had all the technical credentials I would ever need for my work for the Navy.” Instead, to solidify her skills as a manager, she earned a master’s degree in 1973 in public administration from the University of Oklahoma in Norman.

After retiring from the Navy, she earned a doctorate in public administration in 2000 from Virginia Tech. Although she was recovering from a stroke at the time that affected her physical abilities, she still had the same drive to pursue an education that had once kept her focused on a little red schoolhouse.

A formidable legacy

West’s contributions have had a lasting impact on the fields of mathematics, geodesy, and computer science. Her pioneering efforts in a predominantly male and racially segregated environment set a precedent for future generations of female and minority scientists.

West says her life and career are testaments to the power of perseverance, skill, and dedication—or “stick-to-it-iveness,” to use her parlance. Her story continues to inspire people who strive to push boundaries. She has shown that the sky is indeed not the limit but just the beginning.

This year’s IEEE Vision, Innovation, and Challenges Summit and Honors Ceremony, held on 2 and 3 May in Boston, celebrated pioneers in engineering who have developed technologies that changed people’s lives, such as the Internet and GPS. The event also included a trip to the headquarters of cloud service provider Akamai Technologies.

Here are highlights of the sessions, which are available on IEEE.tv.

Akamai hosted a panel discussion on 2 May on innovation, moderated by Robert Blumoff, the company’s executive vice president and CTO. The panel featured IEEE Senior Member Simay Akar, IEEE Life Fellow Deepak Divan, and IEEE Fellows Andrea Goldsmith and Tsu-Jae King Liu. Akar is the founder and CEO of AK Energy Consulting, which helps companies meet their sustainability goals. Divan heads Georgia Tech’s Center for Distributed Energy. Goldsmith is Princeton’s dean of engineering and applied sciences, and King Liu is the dean of the University of California, Berkeley’s College of Engineering.

The panelists were asked about what or who inspired them to pursue a career in engineering, as well as their thoughts on continuing education and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Most said they were inspired to become engineers by a parent. Goldsmith, the recipient of this year’s IEEE James H. Mulligan Jr. Education Medal, credits her father. He was a mechanical engineering professor at UC Berkeley and suggested she consider majoring in engineering because she excelled in math and science in high school.

“When I was young, I didn’t really understand what being an engineer meant,” Goldsmith said at the panel. Because her parents were divorced and she didn’t see her father often, she thought he drove trains. It wasn’t until she was at UC Berkeley, she said, that she realized how technology could change people’s lives for the better. That’s what pushed her to follow in her father’s footsteps.

When asked what keeps them motivated to stay in the engineering field, King Liu said that it’s IEEE’s mission of developing technology for the benefit of humanity. She is this year’s IEEE Founders Medal recipient.

“Diversity is about excellence. The biggest battle is convincing people who don’t believe that diversity has a positive impact on teams and companies.” —Andrea Goldsmith

“Engineering work is done for people and by people,” she said. “I draw inspiration from not only the people we serve, but also the people behind the technology.” The panelists also spoke about the importance of continuing education. “Learning is a lifelong process,” King Liu said. “Engineers need to seek out learning opportunities, whether it’s from having a design fail or from more experienced engineers in their field of interest.”

Diversity, equity, and inclusion was a hot discussion topic. “Diversity is about excellence,” Goldsmith said. “The biggest battle is convincing people who don’t believe that diversity has a positive impact on teams and companies.

“Another issue is finding ways to bring in diverse talent and helping them achieve their full potential,” she added. “One of the things I’m most proud of is the work I’ve done with IEEE on DEI.”

Goldsmith helped launch the IEEE Diversity and Inclusion Committee and is its past chair. Established in 2022 by the IEEE Board of Directors, the committee revised several policies, procedures, and bylaws to ensure that members have a safe and inclusive place for collegial discourse and that all feel welcome. It also launched a website.

Robert E. Kahn proudly displays his IEEE Medal of Honor at this year’s IEEE Honors Ceremony. He is accompanied by IEEE President-Elect Kathleen Kramer and IEEE President Tom Couglin.Robb Cohen Photography & Video

Career advice and the role of AI in society

The IEEE Vision, Innovation, and Challenges Summit got underway on 3 May at the Encore Boston Harbor. It featured a “fireside chat” with Robert E. Kahn followed by discussions with panels of award recipients on topics such as career advice and concerns related to artificial intelligence.

Kahn was interviewed by Caroline Hyde, a business and technology journalist. Widely known as one of the “fathers of the Internet,” he is this year’s IEEE Medal of Honor recipient for “pioneering technical and leadership contributions in packet communication technologies and foundations of the Internet.”

The IEEE Life Fellow reminisced about his experience collaborating with Vint Cerf on the design of the Transmission Control Protocol and the Internet Protocol. Cerf, an IEEE Life Fellow, is another father of the Internet and the 2023 IEEE Medal of Honor recipient.

While working as a program manager in the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s information processing techniques office in 1973, Kahn and Cerf designed the Internet’s core architecture.

One audience member asked Kahn how engineers can create opportunities for young people to collaborate like he and Cerf did. Kahn said that it begins with having a problem to solve, and then thinking about it holistically. He also advised students and young professionals to partner with others when such opportunities arise.

The conversation on career advice continued at the Innovation and Collaboration in Leading Technology Laboratories panel. Panelists and IEEE Fellows Eric Evans, Anthony Vetro, and Peter Vetter offered insights on how to be a successful researcher.

It’s important to identify the right problem and develop a technology to solve it, said Evans, director of MIT Lincoln Laboratory.

When asked what qualities are important for job candidates to showcase when interviewing for a position, Vetro said he looks for employees who are willing to collaborate and are self-driven. Vetro is president and CEO of Mitsubishi Electric Research Labs in Cambridge, Mass. He also stressed the importance of learning how to fail.

During the AI and Society: Building a Future with Responsible Innovation session, Juraj Corba, Christopher D. Manning, Renard T. Jenkins, and IEEE Fellow Claire Tomlin discussed how the technology could affect a variety of fields. They agreed the technology is unlikely to replace humans in the workforce.

“People need to think of AI systems as tools—like what Photoshop is to a photographer.”- Renard T. Jenkins

“People need to think of AI systems as tools—like what Photoshop is to a photographer,” said Jenkins, president of consulting firm I2A2 Technologies, Labs and Studios.

“AI doesn’t have learning and adaptability [capabilities] like humans do,” Manning added. The director of Stanford’s Artificial Intelligence Laboratory is this year’s IEEE John von Neumann Medal recipient. “But there is a good role for technology—it can be life-changing for people.” One example he cited was Neuralink’s brain implant, which would enable a person to control a computer “just by thinking,” according to the startup’s founder, Elon Musk.

ChatGPT, a generative AI program, has become a hot topic among educators since its launch two years ago, said panel moderator Armen Pischdotchian, data scientist at IBM in Cambridge, Mass. Tomlin, chair of the electrical engineering and computer science department at UC Berkeley, said AI will make education more interactive and provide a better experience. “It will help both students and educators,” said the recipient of this year’s IEEE Mildred Dresselhaus Medal.

Pioneers of assistive technology, GPS, and the Internet

The highlight of the evening was the Honors Ceremony, which recognized those who had developed technologies such as assistive robots, GPS, and the Internet.

The IEEE Spectrum Technology in the Service of Society Award went to startup Hello Robot, headquartered in Atlanta, for its Stretch robot. The machine gives those with a severe disability, such as paralysis, the ability to maintain their independence while living at home. For example, users can operate the robot to feed themselves, scratch an itch, or cover themselves with a blanket.

The machine consists of a mobile platform with a single arm that moves up and down a retractable pole. A wrist joint at the end of the arm bends back and forth and controls a gripper, which can grasp nearby objects. Sensors mounted at the base of the arm and a camera located at the top of the pole provide the sensing needed to move around from room to room, avoid obstacles, and pick up small items such as books, eating utensils, and pill bottles.

More than six billion people around the world use GPS to navigate their surroundings, according to GPS World. The technology wouldn’t have been possible without Gladys West, who contributed to the mathematical modeling of the shape of the Earth. While working at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, in Dahlgren, Va., she conducted seminal work on satellite geodesy models that was pivotal in the development of the GPS. West, who is 93, retired in 1998 after working at the center for 42 years. For her contributions, she received the IEEE President’s Award.

The ceremony concluded with the presentation of the IEEE Medal of Honor to Bob Kahn, who received a standing ovation.

“This is the honor of my career,” he said. He ended his speech saying that he “hasn’t stopped yet and still has more to do.”