Knowing precisely which way is north can be crucial in the mining industry, in oil and gas surveying, and for a variety of autonomous vehicle applications. “We have a new, north-seeking MEMS [micro-electromechanical system] gyro, with a completely revised MEMS design,” said Tronics Product Marketing Manager Pierre Gazull, speaking at InterGEO 2024 in Stuttgart.
“The solution is still in development, but we’ve already demonstrated its used in determining which way is true north with a very high level of accuracy.”
To find true north – geographic north, not magnetic north – the new MEMS gyro measures the Earth’s rotation in four different positions, an operation that takes about 40 to 50 seconds to complete.
“The alternatives that are on the market right now, fiber optics and others, are either much more expensive or have form factors that are much larger than what this one is going to have,” said Gazull. “We are able to achieve less-than-one-degree accuracy in azimuth determination, and we can do it in less than one minute. Getting that kind of speed and accuracy in a very small form factor is something quite new.”
Hows and whys
Gazull demonstrated the new system at InterGEO, as we watched. “The Earth rotates at about four millidegrees per second,” he said, “which is a very slow rate. Once we’ve done the measurement, the arrow is pointing north and we’ve got that very high level of precision and accuracy.
“In mining, oil and gas, they do need that, as well as for autonomous technologies; when you start out with an unmanned vehicle, you need to know which way you’re going. You need to have very precise heading, and you want it fast. You don’t want to have to wait five or ten minutes. With this solution, that information will be available in less than one minute.”
The new Tronics north-seeking MEMS gyro is not yet on the market, but Gazull said the unit-in-development is already being noticed by some big players in the field. “We’ve had some of those people here at our booth, asking questions, expressing interest. In fact, there is a very huge demand right now for this kind of gyro.” The new item will be available in the second half of 2025, and the price point, Gazull said, will be very reasonable. “We’re going to have a big launch next year,” he said. “This is going to be a very big deal.”
