page_title: Inertial measurement unit
section_title: Operational principles
hierarchical_section_title: Inertial measurement unit / Operational principles
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Centrale à inertie du Missile S3, Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace, Paris Le Bourget (France) English: Inertial measurement unit of S3 Missile, Museum of Air and Space Paris, Le Bourget (France)
context_page_description: An inertial measurement unit is an electronic device that measures and reports a body's specific force, angular rate, and sometimes the orientation of the body, using a combination of accelerometers, gyroscopes, and sometimes magnetometers. IMUs are typically used to maneuver aircraft, including unmanned aerial vehicles, among many others, and spacecraft, including satellites and landers. Recent developments allow for the production of IMU-enabled GPS devices. An IMU allows a GPS receiver to work when GPS-signals are unavailable, such as in tunnels, inside buildings, or when electronic interference is present. A wireless IMU is known as a WIMU.
context_section_description: An inertial measurement unit works by detecting linear acceleration using one or more accelerometers and rotational rate using one or more gyroscopes. Some also include a magnetometer which is commonly used as a heading reference. Typical configurations contain one accelerometer, gyro, and magnetometer per axis for each of the three principal axes: pitch, roll and yaw.
caption: Inertial navigation unit of French IRBM S3.
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