Magnetoquasistatic Positioning: Recent Advances, Applications, Potential Solutions, and Future Prospects

Wireless positioning in environments where global positioning system (GPS) signals are unavailable—such as indoors, underground, and underwater—has become a research hotspot in the Internet of Things (IoT). However, most existing traditional wireless positioning technologies can only achieve desirable results in environments with guaranteed line-of-sight (LoS) paths. In contrast, magnetoquasistatic (MQS) positioning technology has demonstrated strong competitiveness in the these environments due to its robust penetration capabilities. Based on recent state-of-the-art research, this article presents a comprehensive and exhaustive survey of MQS positioning, focusing on the foundation knowledge of MQS fields and the application of MQS positioning in various scenarios. Additionally, different existing and innovative solutions/methods for solving MQS positioning-related problems are presented, highlighting their pros and cons. Furthermore, this article categorizes MQS positioning according to their transmitter-receiver array combinations. Finally, critical challenges and future research prospects are presented. With this survey, we aim to provide a complete roadmap of previous and current research trends, identify research gaps, and suggest future research directions that will guide researchers in their subsequent advanced studies on MQS positioning.