P5 North Seeking Gyrocompass [MEMS North-Seeking Gyrocompass]

Marine navigation is a surprisingly complex task; it entails far more than simply steering a ship from one point to another. Especially in high traffic areas such as those around ports, it is important that ships stay on a specified course in order to avoid collisions. To navigate safely, ship personnel must have highly accurate data about location and direction. Directional data is typically provided by a gyrocompass. A gyrocompass is a nonmagnetic compass that finds true north based on the rotation of the earth.Our goal at Notos is to implement a MEMS gyrocompass, the P5 North Seeking Gyrocompass, which will have sufficient accuracy to meet Canadian regulations. Upon final product release, the P5 would be outfitted on marine vessels as a selfcontained unit capable of streaming navigational data to an operator. The P5 would act as the main source of direction or as a backup unit in case of equipment failure.