Ceramic GyroTM is a sensor that measures rotational (angular) velocity by oscillating a piezoelectric ceramic resonator with alternating voltage. The NEC TOKIN Ceramic Gyro uses an extremely simple construction: piezoelectric ceramic rods, to which electrodes are attached during the printing process. This gives the sensor consistent quality and a wide range of applications, including shake detectors for hand-held video cameras.

Piezoelectric ceramics change shape (stretch and shrink) when subjected to electric voltage. Alternately, they produce voltage when their shapes are altered. First, piezoelectric ceramic rods are placed horizontally at right angles to one another to form X and Y axes. Next, electrodes is attached to the X axis, and the two lines crossing the Y axis. Then when alternating electric voltage is applied to the electrodes on the X axis, the piezoelectric ceramic rods begin to oscillate back and forth along the X axis. If the electric potential of the two electrodes on the Y axis is measured at this time, there will be no change. This is because the piezoelectric oscillation is only occurring along the X axis, and no force has been applied to the Y axis. But if the ceramic rods are rotated on their axis, the oscillation of the X axis and vertical/Coriolis force are applied. When this occurs, potential appears in the electrodes on the Y axis in relation to Coriolis force. So it is possible to find out the rotation of the ceramic rods on their axis by looking at changes in electric potential.



Say you are now standing in the center of a huge disk, and are trying to throw a ball in a straight line. But this huge disk is actually rotating counterclockwise, yet you are not aware of this. So when you throw the ball, it will probably appear to curve to the right. In other words, you will sense a force that causes the ball to veer to the right. This apparent force is called Coriolis force. This is what causes hurricanes to spin clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.

This goggle display is famous in the virtual reality field. Because images can be sent independently to the left and right eyes, HMDs can be used to display images that give the impression that one is in a three-dimensional space.

This technology, developed by the US military, receives radio signals from a minimum of four satellites to let someone know their position, using the principle of triangulation. Car navigation systems use GPS to calculate the vehicle's position.