An airplane without pilot brings its passengers to its destination. This still is science fiction. But today gyro technology already is working towards an increasingly precise determination of flight attitude and position – a prerequisite for aircraft maneuvering autonomously in air and spacecraft adjusting attitude in space. Moreover, this technology is used to guide cars to their destination. Future navigation systems will be discussed by international experts and representatives of industry at the Gyro Technology Symposium.
The international symposium focusing on the topic of “Inertial Components and Integrated Systems” this year will take place on Tuesday, September 16, from 8.00 to 17.00 hrs and on Wednesday, September 17, from 8.30 to 17.00 hrs in the Gartensaal of Karlsruhe Palace, Schlossplatz 1. The symposium is organized by the Institute for Theoretical Electrical Engineering and Systems Optimization (ITE) of the KIT in cooperation with the “Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ortung und Navigation (DGON, German Institute of Navigation)”.
Last year, the conference participants met in Karlsruhe for the first time. “I am very glad that we succeeded in having this internationally renowned symposium taking place here permanently”, says the conference host, Professor Gert Trommer from the ITE. From now on, the symposium will take place regularly, every year in September, in Karlsruhe. Journalists are cordially invited.
The GPS satellite and radar images of significant features on the ground
support the navigation system. (Graphics by: ITE)
((Bildinschriften: GPS Satellit = GPS satellite; Radarbild = Radar image;
Kartenmerkmale: Map features))
Gyro technology, the name of which brings the old gyroscopic compass used on ships back to mind, today stands for an innovative field of science and industry. It deals with inertial sensors, such as ring laser gyros, MEMS accelerometers, GPS satellite receivers or multi-sensor-supported navigation systems and their applications. These “sense organs” enable machines to precisely determine rotation movements, accelerations or inclinations in space. It is aimed at correctly calculating the position or flight attitude also under disturbing conditions, e.g. GPS signal loss. This is achieved by collecting information from many sensors based on various measurement principles and an optimum fusion of these data.
The program committee of the symposium has invited twenty high-ranking experts to give presentations this year. Last year, the conference participants came from nineteen countries.
For further information on the symposium and a photo gallery, click the web site of the ITE.
The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is the merger of the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, member of the Helmholtz Association, and the Universität Karlsruhe. This merger will give rise to an institution of internationally excellent research and teaching in natural and engineering sciences. In total, the KIT has 8000 employees and an annual budget of 700 million Euros. The KIT focuses on the knowledge triangle of research – teaching – innovation.
The Karlsruhe institution is a leading European energy research center and plays a visible role in nanosciences worldwide. KIT sets new standards in teaching and promotion of young scientists and attracts top scientists from all over the world. Moreover, KIT is a leading cooperation partner of industry.