FROM POPULAR SCIENCE SHILLS
Nano-Gyroscopes Will Let Cell Phones Navigate Indoors, Underground
Israeli researchers have created the tiniest-ever optical gyroscopes, as small as a grain of sand, but still maintaining the keen accuracy of their counterparts hundreds of times larger. Optical gyroscopes are generally used for navigation in airplanes, ships and satellites, in which they track movement without reference to external navigation points, by measuring the vehicle’s rotation rate and linear acceleration. This is called inertial navigation. It’s extremely accurate but, up until now, only possible in gyroscopes and weighing two to three pounds.
FROM PHYS ORG
A tracking device that fits on the head of a pin
October 5, 2010
(PhysOrg.com) -- Optical gyroscopes, also known as rotation sensors, are widely used as a navigational tool in vehicles from ships to airplanes, measuring the rotation rates of a vehicle on three axes to evaluate its exact position and orientation. Prof. Koby Scheuer of Tel Aviv University's School of Physical Engineering is now scaling down this crucial sensing technology for use in smartphones, medical equipment and more futuristic technologies.
Working in collaboration with Israel's Department of Defense, Prof. Scheuer and his team of researchers have developed nano-sized optical gyroscopes that can fit on the head of a pin ― and, more usefully, on an average-sized computer chip ― without compromising the device's sensitivity. These gyroscopes will have the ability to pick up smaller rotation rates, delivering higher accuracy while maintaining smaller dimensions, he says. The research was recently described in the journal Optics Express.
"Conventional gyroscopes look like a box, and weigh two or three pounds," Prof. Scheuer explains. "This is fine for an airplane, but if you're trying to fit a gyroscope onto a smaller piece of technology, such as a cellphone, the accuracy will be severely limited."....Tracking inside the bodyWhen available, the nano-gyroscopes will improve technologies that we use every day. When you rotate an iPhone, for example, the screen adjusts itself accordingly. A nano-gyroscope would improve the performance of this feature and be sensitive to smaller changes in position, says Prof. Scheuer. And that's not all. Nano-gyroscopes integrated into common cellphones could provide a tracking function beyond the capabilities of existing GPS systems. "If you find yourself in a place without reception, you would be able to track your exact position without the GPS signal," he says.
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Nano-Gyroscopes Will Let Cell Phones Navigate Indoors, Underground
Israeli researchers have created the tiniest-ever optical gyroscopes, as small as a grain of sand, but still maintaining the keen accuracy of their counterparts hundreds of times larger. Optical gyroscopes are generally used for navigation in airplanes, ships and satellites, in which they track movement without reference to external navigation points, by measuring the vehicle’s rotation rate and linear acceleration. This is called inertial navigation. It’s extremely accurate but, up until now, only possible in gyroscopes and weighing two to three pounds.
FROM PHYS ORG
A tracking device that fits on the head of a pin
October 5, 2010
(PhysOrg.com) -- Optical gyroscopes, also known as rotation sensors, are widely used as a navigational tool in vehicles from ships to airplanes, measuring the rotation rates of a vehicle on three axes to evaluate its exact position and orientation. Prof. Koby Scheuer of Tel Aviv University's School of Physical Engineering is now scaling down this crucial sensing technology for use in smartphones, medical equipment and more futuristic technologies.
Working in collaboration with Israel's Department of Defense, Prof. Scheuer and his team of researchers have developed nano-sized optical gyroscopes that can fit on the head of a pin ― and, more usefully, on an average-sized computer chip ― without compromising the device's sensitivity. These gyroscopes will have the ability to pick up smaller rotation rates, delivering higher accuracy while maintaining smaller dimensions, he says. The research was recently described in the journal Optics Express.
"Conventional gyroscopes look like a box, and weigh two or three pounds," Prof. Scheuer explains. "This is fine for an airplane, but if you're trying to fit a gyroscope onto a smaller piece of technology, such as a cellphone, the accuracy will be severely limited."....Tracking inside the bodyWhen available, the nano-gyroscopes will improve technologies that we use every day. When you rotate an iPhone, for example, the screen adjusts itself accordingly. A nano-gyroscope would improve the performance of this feature and be sensitive to smaller changes in position, says Prof. Scheuer. And that's not all. Nano-gyroscopes integrated into common cellphones could provide a tracking function beyond the capabilities of existing GPS systems. "If you find yourself in a place without reception, you would be able to track your exact position without the GPS signal," he says.
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