Gyroscope is currently used in a wide range of applications including defense, aerospace, consumer electronics, and industrial. It is a multi-billion dollar market with a very high growth rate. Current Micro Electromechanical Systems (MEMS) gyroscopes at the needed size, price point, and accuracy are not available to be used in many of the new applications the market seeks, such as in the navigation unit for guiding Unmanned Air Vehicles, automobiles, and humans in the regions where GPS signals are not receivable, for instance, inside buildings and tunnels. These applications require accuracy that is ~100 times higher than that of current available MEMS gyroscopes. This project aims to commercialize ultra-high-precision Micro Electromechanical Systems (MEMS) gyroscopes, called the birdbath resonator gyroscope (BRG). The proposed work will enhance the understanding of dominant energy loss mechanisms and ways to further improve the performance of these resonators.
The team has demonstrated the proof of concept BRG, and was tested at the lab under non-ideal temperature conditions. The device demonstrated accuracy and has been found to be sufficient for some industrial and military applications (e.g. stabilization of platforms for antenna, robots, or helicopters). By participating in the I-Corps program, the team will contact market participants that use gyroscopes to understand their needs, both met and unmet, regarding unit size, power, cost, and technical performance requirements. The team will work to learn the potential market size for its technology, and conduct an analysis of competitors already in the space to see how they are supplying the marketplace in a way that meet current customer needs. If successfully developed, the BRG technology could be adopted in a wide range of new applications. This will benefit the society by creating new jobs for developing both hardware and software for utilizing ultra high performance MEMS gyroscopes.
