North Carolina-based Honeywell says lab tests of new MEMS inertial sensor technology are showing “game-changing” improvements in accuracy and power usage that could help to pave the way for longer-distance autonomous travel. 
 

Inertial sensors are key to navigation when GPS technology fails, which can happen when buildings, rough terrain, water, frequency jamming or other obstacles block satellite signals. The sensors enable unmanned vehicles to determine location by measuring changes in orientation, acceleration and other data. Development of reliable inertial navigation systems to complement GPS is crucial to progress toward widespread unmanned flight beyond the line of sight, a high-ranking priority on the wish list for the unmanned systems industry. 
 

With funding from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Honeywell is developing an inertial measure unit (IMU) about the same size as its most popular IMU product, the HG1930 – about the size of a tennis ball – and could be used with any device that currently uses the HG1930. That product has about 150,000 units in use. 
 

But in simulations, the new IMU – called the HG7930 – is proving itself to be about 50 times more accurate in hitting navigation targets, said Brittan Brandt, Honeywell’s product offering director for tactical IMUs.  

“The difference could be miles, depending on how long of a distance you need to travel,” Brandt said. She added that the new IMU has lower power requirements. 
 

The IMU in development uses micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology, which puts it in a  category that in the past has typically included IMUs that were smaller and lighter but less accurate than IMUs that use such technologies as ring laser gyroscopes (RLG) and fiber optic gyroscopes (FOG).  
 

“It’s definitely going to be an option in that same performance class as those other technologies,” Brandt said.  
 

Honeywell expects to have the new IMU in high-volume production for sale within the next five years, and calls now the perfect time to approach potential users to discuss military and commercial applications.   

The improvements open up a world of new possibilities, said Brandt, naming future urban air mobility aircraft as an ideal prospect.  
 

“To be able to offer a MIMS-based IMU in this size and with this level of performance truly is a game-changer,” Brandt said. “It’s going to enable us to be on so many more platforms than the technology they are using right now. We’ve talked about urban mobility, we’ve talked about land, we’ve talked about underwater – all of those areas have so much potential and so much need for this IMU.” 
 

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 Roughly the size of a tennis ball, the HG7930 under development at Honeywell is showing “game-changing” improvements in accuracy over predecessors of the same size.