The development of a stable, yet highly accurate inertial microsensor will have ramifications for all forms of navigation. The partners are already examining the microsensor's use in navigation applications including remote-controlled aircraft and unmanned submersible probes. The partnership has even looked at opportunities in the oil exploration field. Anyone who has tried to hang a picture on a wall will be familiar with the difficulty of drilling accurately. No matter how carefully a drill is aligned, it will always move slightly before burrowing into the wall.
Engineers face the same problem when sinking boreholes.
Every time the drill hits a layer of hard rock it skids slightly, knocking the borehole off alignment. The project team believe that their inertial microsensor will be small enough to fit within the head of a drill, strong enough to withstand the harsh environment and accurate enough to let engineers know exactly where they are drilling. As the sensor will be mass-produced, it will also be cheaper than conventional closed loop accelerometers. Thanks to support from the EU and the German IRC, the project is now moving into its developmental phase. As the list of future applications continues to grow and the technology becomes a reality, the project partners can now sense with accuracy that they are on to a winner.