The standards organization that oversees Bluetooth technology on Monday introduced a new direction-finding feature that could make it easier to locate items that go missing and find your way inside buildings.

Included in Bluetooth Core Specification version 5.1, which is available to developers today, the feature allows devices to determine the direction of a Bluetooth signal, according to the Bluetooth Special Interest Group.

"For example, an item finding solution [like those made by Tile] could not only let a user know when a personal property tag is nearby, but also in what direction, greatly enhancing the user experience," the group explained in a news release.

This feature could also help improve the accuracy of Bluetooth positioning systems used for asset tracking and indoor wayfinding.

Today, these systems offer "meter-level accuracy when determining the physical location of a device," the Bluetooth Special Interest Group said. With the addition of this new direction-finding feature, these positioning systems "could improve their location accuracy down to the centimeter-level."

In addition to making it available to developers, the group is updating its Launch Studio tool, used to qualify new Bluetooth products, to support this new feature.

"Location services is one of the fastest growing solution areas for Bluetooth technology, and is forecasted to reach over 400 million products per year by 2022," Bluetooth Special Interest Group Executive Director Mark Powell said in a statement. "This is great traction and the Bluetooth community continues to seek ways to further grow this market with technology enhancements that better address market needs, demonstrating the community's commitment to driving innovation and enriching the technology experience of users worldwide."