TECHNOLOGY FOR CHANGE

Five Apps That Will Make 2010 the Year of the Gyroscope

R. Colin Johnson | Date: 12-30-09 | Comments

Improvements to gyroscopes will lead to improvements in picture taking, gesture-based user interfaces, accident avoidance, GPSes and human motion analysis, making 2010 a big year for the technology.

Gyroscopes have already proved themselves in the inertial guidance systems for aircraft, ships, spacecraft and ballistic missiles, but their use in consumer devices in 2010 will make gyroscopes a part of the common vernacular.

Unlike the gimbaled, spinning-top version of gyroscopes invented in the 1800s, a modern gyroscope uses a micrometer-sized vibrating bar inside a microchip against which to measure rotational motion by virtue of the Coriolis effect. By tracking subtle rotational motions�called pitch, roll and yaw�such a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) gyroscope provides sub-millimeter-resolution tracking of the most subtle motions.

Here are the key applications of MEMS gyroscopes that will make 2010 the Year of the Gyroscope:

Camera Stabilization

MEMS gyroscopes can track the slightest hand movements, such as the jiggle caused by depressing the shutter release on a still camera, or small subtle hand vibrations when holding a camcorder. By tracking the precise motion of the camera lens as it shoots, engineers can compensate with internal systems that stabilize the recorded image. Camcorders have already been using gyroscopes, but in 2010 smartphones will begin using gyroscopes for camera stabilization, enabling the MEMS gyro to also be accessed by application developers the same way accelerometers are accessed by apps today.

Gesture-Based User Interfaces

In-air mice from Logitech, Gyration and Hillcrest Laboratories already use MEMS gyroscope chips to enable pinpoint control of on-screen cursors. The next-generation devices due out in 2010, however, will enable TV remote controls, video game controllers and smartphones to harness hand gestures in place of joysticks and buttons. Nintendo's Wii add-on controller, called the MotionPlus, already contains a gyroscope.

Automotive Accident Avoidance

MEMS gyroscopes are enabling both the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and roll-over detection systems that are making automobiles safer. Similar systems are being developed for wheel chair stabilization and other safety applications.

Dead Reckoning Aids for GPS

Whenever the GPS signal is lost by a navigational device today, the system loses track of where you are. Not so if your device has a MEMS gyroscope, since dead reckoning can be used to continue tracking location until the GPS signal is reacquired. Phones with gyros and GPS will be able to direct you to a store's exact location inside the mall.

Human Motion Analysis

Today, animated movies have to put actors in suits covered with white dots that are tracked with a video camera. Unfortunately, the dots can be obscured by other parts of the body; plus video cameras do not track the depth of dots in a scene. By replacing the white dots with MEMS gyroscope/accelerometer combo chips, such as the LSM320 by STMicro, ultra accurate and more easily captured human motion analysis can be performed for animation, sports and medicine.