Conventional antennas for precise direction finding must work coherently: they capture not just volume, but also the wave's phase at a given moment. The slightest tuning mismatch, and the direction is lost. The new method relies solely on signal strength. It's like finding your way in fog, seeing only the brightness of lights, not their color. Simple sensors measure volume, and the algorithm compares their readings to locate sources. This approach is reminiscent of photometry in astronomy — scientists judge stars solely by their shine. To filter out noise, the algorithm seeks the simplest explanation: there are usually few sources. It's similar to how spectroscopy separates a mixture of light into pure colors, though here only volume is analyzed. Searching for rare bursts against silence is akin to the transit method for planet hunting.
Tests confirm: in normal conditions, the method matches traditional ones, and under strong interference, it significantly outperforms them. This paves the way for cheap and reliable systems without complex calibration.
Our brain determines sound direction by the volume difference between ears. For high frequencies, this method is even more accurate than detecting the time-of-arrival difference.