Thursday, November 29, 2007

Analogue, non-GPS in-car navigation!

I've been so bad at blogging recently - mostly due to the pressure of work. By the time 22:00 comes around and I get home I'm in no mind to write blog entries. This is a pity because I've seen a lot of cool stuf recently. Anyways - this caught my eye on Digg and I did a bit more snooping around Honda's site.
The gas-rate gyro works by using the inertial force of gas to move straight, employing helium ejected from a nozzle and blown onto two heated wires. The unit determines directional changes by sensing the temperature differences between the two wires. Therefore, this type of gyro, which employed just eight parts, was a very appealing candidate. However, it was not very accurate, and the zero point was often impossible to locate precisely. It was a problem for the development staff, but further study nevertheless identified certain benefits. As a result, the staff continued its research, hoping to develop a system that would offer reliable control, although within a limited range, along with constant zero correction.

It makes the achievement of affordable GPS receivers seem not such a great milestone!

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