



No larger than a wallet

"Our gyroscope withstands the inhospitable conditions of space, and is also significantly smaller, lighter, and consumes less energy than comparable solutions," says Michael Scheiding, managing director of Astro- und Feinwerktechnik Adlershof GmbH. Instead of the usual 7.5 kilograms, it weighs in at a little less than one kilo. And the scientists have also significantly reduced its volume. While similar devices are usually about the size of a shoe box, the new gyroscope measures just 10 by 14 by 3 centimeters, i.e. no larger than a wallet. The researchers' ultimate aim is to halve the size of the system yet again. Another advantage is that it requires approximately half as much energy as comparable devices.

How did the researchers achieve this result? To find out, it is necessary to take a look inside the fiber-optic gyroscope. Its main component is a fiber coil, a core with one to two kilometers of fiber wrapped around it. The longer the fiber, the more accurate the gyroscope. "We have reduced the length of the fiber to 400 meters, but can still obtain the same level of accuracy," says Marcus Heimann, a researcher at IZM. "One of the things we did to achieve this was to select more efficient optical components." The splice points between the different fibers that link the light source, the detector, and the coil have also been optimized. The scientists will be presenting their prototype at the Sensor + Test trade show in Nürnberg from June 3 to 5 (Hall 12, Booth 12-537). Visitors can test how accurately the gyroscope determines the rate of rotation by making it rotate on a turntable.

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