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NanTrak Micro Tracker

Creating a Breakthrough Tracking Device for Sport Hunting and Defense Applications

Opportunity / Background

Bluefin Innovations partnered with Nantrak to develop a highly rugged, micro-sized embedded tracking device capable of transmitting signals from projectiles over long distances for tracking and status monitoring. The device was designed for hunting sports and defense markets. The project represented a novel and demanding R&D challenge, requiring extreme miniaturization, survivability under high-impact deployment, and reliable long-range communication.

The tracker was designed to be forcibly embedded into an object upon impact, with performance goals that included transmission ranges exceeding one mile, watertight integrity, and survivability under significant shock loads. The device needed to activate automatically upon impact, operate on a custom micro lithium-polymer battery, and maintain signal integrity despite being embedded in tissue.

This engagement highlighted Bluefin Innovations’ ability to tackle unconventional engineering problems, starting from early-stage research and minimal initial concepts to deliver a fully functional, field-tested tracking platform applicable across consumer, research, and defense markets.

Micro Miniature PC Board & Power

The tracking device is around the size of a quarter and houses the electronics, power, and wireless modules. 

NanTrak System

The tracking device and the handheld tracker

NanTrak Handheld Tracker

The tracker was designed to track the location of the implanted device from a distance of 2 miles. 

Project Goals

The primary objectives of the Nantrac Micro Tracker program included:

  • Designing a micro-scale embedded tracker capable of long-range wireless transmission through animal tissue
  • Developing a ruggedized enclosure and internal architecture to withstand high-impact deployment and environmental exposure
  • Engineering a custom antenna solution that avoided frequency shifts while embedded in flesh
  • Integrating onboard sensing to determine animal status (alive or deceased) to support retrieval decisions
  • Ensuring regulatory viability through early FCC compliance research and frequency selection
  • Creating a companion receiver platform for intuitive directional tracking in the field

DESIGN CHALLENGES

The Nantrak project presented a set of unique technical and operational challenges:

  • Achieving reliable long-range transmission from a micro device embedded within tissue
  • Designing an antenna that maintained performance without detuning or frequency drift
  • Integrating a custom micro battery while meeting size, activation, and survivability constraints
  • Ensuring watertight sealing and impact survivability under extreme shock loads
  • Developing a deployment mechanism that reliably released the tracker from a carrier without structural failure
  • Balancing experimental R&D work with manufacturability and repeatability considerations

 

Bluefin employed an iterative, research-driven development approach supported by close collaboration with the Nantrac team and detailed engineering documentation. Early phases focused heavily on feasibility research, including antenna frequency selection, data bandwidth optimization, and regulatory considerations.

Key process elements included:

  • Breadboarding and development-kit evaluations to define radio components and data encoding strategies
  • Extensive CAD modeling and 3D printing to enable rapid concept iteration and packaging refinement
  • Specialized testing using ballistics gel, custom fixturing, and high-speed cameras to validate deployment behavior
  • Range testing and signal-efficiency measurements to validate transmission performance
  • Continuous refinement cycles addressing battery integration, antenna tuning, and manufacturing feasibility

Deployment reliability testing represented a unique operational challenge. The team developed repeatable test setups to simulate impact events, ensuring the tracker detached from its carrier—such as an arrow—upon impact and embedded correctly without damage.

Quality assurance processes included defined bench-test recipes and close vendor collaboration to maintain consistency and accountability during prototype builds.

RESULTS

NanTrak, in collaboration with Bluefin Innovations, introduced this powerful tracking technology that has gained attention of the hunting community as well as a growing interest in the defense market. 

Testimonial from Evan Parker