Posted on 11/12/2018 3:59:02 PM PST by DUMBGRUNT
Their so-called quantum compass measures the movements of supercooled atoms using a quantum accelerometer which, unlike previous accelerometers, remains accurate over time and doesnt require external references. Built over five years with $346 million (£270m) funding from the U.K. government, you probably wont find the three-foot wide, three-foot tall compass under the Christmas tree or in your smartphone any time soon, but it has the potential to dramatically change how we navigate the world. Heres how:
Its ultra secure
Its incredibly accurate
Its surprisingly cost-effective
(Excerpt) Read more at fortune.com ...
Coming to an iPhone near you! Just keep the phone in the deep, deep freeze each night?
Will it suffer from relativistic effects at near light speeds?
Too late.
The Big Bang team got there first.
But Kripke improved it.
;-)
Why do they call it a compass?
“Will it suffer from relativistic effects at near light speeds?”
No problem. It is all relative.
This article says the atoms are cooled with lasers.
http://www.m2lasers.com/quantum_compass_could_allow_navigation_without_relying_on_satellites.html
I found this definition at Merriam-Webster
b : any of various nonmagnetic devices that indicate direction
Bookmark
Nerds!
This gives me a headache so, it feels better to just yell out Nerds!
I read the article, and unless I missed something, this is not a compass, which merely indicates direction. It is superior to GPS, which means it’s a complete navigation system with comparable output such as direction, speed, elevation, time etc.
The fact that it is self contained, that is not depending on satellites or another outside reference, does make it quite a gem if it is a accurate as they claim.
I did not notice if it is EMP proof.
All of those would be great aboard ship.
GPS works fine.
What fun would that be?
Everybody wants to have a dewar of liquid helium to perform ‘cool’ tricks with.
A guy has to have some fun.
Thats the way it looks to me, too. It really should be compared to INS - which is probably what it really is. Seems like you could do that with perfect accelerometers, if you used a pair of them to measure angular acceleration in each of the three orthogonal axes as well as to measure linear acceleration in each axis.But for such a system to outperform GPS, the quality of those accelerometers must be something to behold. Wonder if this thing needs an alignment time similar to that of an INS . . .
Its amazing that even here at FR there are people who don’t understand the need for this.
Little yet for the consumer version with all the eye-popping displays.
Guessing that it is close to an extremely accurate gyrocompass, that also knows where it has been, the rate of travel...
EMP proof? The guts (quantum accelerometer)probably.
For the support equipment, you may have wait for the mil-spec version.
And if you can hold out for the prosumer line...
All of those would be great aboard ship.
...
They would be. I believe our nuclear submarines use changes in the Earth’s gravitational field to navigate. I wonder if this new device could replace that.
“This gives me a headache so, it feels better to just yell out Nerds!”
Be glad it isn’t the hardcore stuff, that will make your brain hurt for days.
And the liquid helium can give a real brain freeze.
Freezing Things With Liquid Nitrogen And Then Whacking Them With A Hammer In Slow Motion
http://digg.com/video/liquid-nitrogen-sledgehammer
Some of them shatter spectacularly, like a watermelon, while others, like a baseball, fail to yield to the mighty blunt force trauma of a big sledgehammer. So it goes.
GPS works fine.
Until it is hacked, or jammed, or the EU shuts you off...
My first thought was for a submarine. And worth every penny for that application.
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