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From: gt4115a@prism.gatech.edu (HARDIE,PETER THOMAS)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: Re: optical gyros
Message-ID: <12161@milton.u.washington.edu>
Date: 2 Dec 90 16:19:36 GMT
References: <11727@milton.u.washington.edu> <11836@milton.u.washington.edu>
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In article <11836@milton.u.washington.edu> 23r@sage.cc.purdue.edu (John Dormer) 
writes:
>  I recall from a couple years back, when I was very interested in laser
>devices, that Hughes Aircraft had made optical (laser-ring) gyroscopes. The
>ones for military aircraft could detect >extremely< small rotations...measured
>in degrees per minute, and they were decimal numbers to boot.

One caveat about using aircraft gyros.  I have been told that all of these
devices made for commercial (non-US military) use have built-in 15 minute
'alignment' times - to prevent non-US military from buying a bunch of DC-9's
with the gyro's and moving them to fighter aircraft.  I would doubt that
VR is sufficient reason for the govt to change the design of the aircraft
gyros at this point.

>        John Dormer
>        dormer@medusa.cs.purdue.edu


-- 
Pete Hardie
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
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