Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Inertial navigation system



  (Redirected from Inertial reference system)

An inertial navigation system (INS) is a navigation aid that uses a computer, motion sensors (accelerometers) and rotation sensors (gyroscopes) to continuously calculate via dead reckoning the position, orientation, and velocity (direction and speed of movement) of a moving object without the need for external references. It is used on vehicles such asshipsaircraftsubmarinesguided missiles, and spacecraft. Other terms used to refer to inertial navigation systems or closely related devices include inertial guidance systeminertial reference platforminertial instrumentinertial measurement unit (IMU) and many other variations.

In studies of animal navigation, dead reckoning is more commonly (though not exclusively) known as path integration, and animals use it to estimate their current location based on the movements they made since their last known location. Animals such as ants, rodents, and geese have also been shown to continuously keep track of their locations relative to a starting point and return to it, an important skill to have for creatures that forage for food and then return to a fixed home.

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