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In a new partnership valued at $8.7 million, Australian researchers and industry partners will collaborate to design and manufacture the world’s most precise, compact and cost-effective gyroscope.
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The project has been facilitated, in part, through a $2.8 million Cooperative Research Centre Projects (CRC-P) grant to Advanced Navigation, announced by Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews.
The navigation system manufacturer will partner with RMIT University, the Australian National University (ANU) and commercial partner Corridor Insights.
Overall, the collaboration hopes to "cut the cost of ultra-high-performance gyroscopes by 85 per cent".
In a press release posted by RMIT, project partners note that high-performance gyroscopes have a range of commercial and military applications, including:
- Improving the navigation and safety of autonomous cars;
- Correcting the course of satellites travelling at 11,000km/h; and
- Enhancing the precision of drones used for remote inspection of infrastructure.
Chris Shaw, chief executive of Advanced Navigation, added that the project would look to "explore the complete manufacturing pipeline – from basic microchip components, sophisticated signal processing, system integration and real-world application".
"It’s a landmark partnership that will deliver world-class technology and showcase the amazing opportunities for a new home-grown, high-tech manufacturing industry in Australia," he said.
Researchers at ANU hope to adapt an optical measurement technique known as digital interferometry to increase cost-effectiveness of high-performance gyroscopes. The technology detects minuscule light inconsistencies detected through digital interferometry, allowing manufacturers to "shrink ultra-high-performance gyroscopes from the size of a bread box to the size of a coffee cup”, as Professor Aman Mitchell of RMIT's Integrated Photonics and Applications Centre put it.
ANU photonics researcher associate professor Jong Chow said the miniscule light inconsistencies detected through digital interferometry could have mammoth flow-on effects.
“Separating a tiny blip of noise from an actual signal can be the difference between a satellite avoiding a meteorite or crashing into it, or an automated car swerving to prevent a collision,” Chow said.
