History of gyroscopes

The earliest known gyroscope-like instrument was made by German Johann Bohnenberger, who first wrote about it in 1817. At first he called it the "Machine".[3][4] Bohnenberger's machine was based on a rotating massive sphere.[5] In 1832, American Walter R. Johnson developed a similar device that was based on a rotating disk.[6][7] The French mathematician Pierre-Simon Laplace, working at the cole Polytechnique in Paris, recommended the machine for use as a teaching aid, and thus it came to the attention of Lon Foucault.[8] In 1852, Foucault used it in an experiment involving the rotation of the Earth.[9][10] It was Foucault who gave the device its modern name, in an experiment to see (Greek skopeein, to see) the Earth's rotation (Greek gyros, circle or rotation),[11] which was visible in the 8 to 10 minutes before friction slowed the spinning rotor. In the 1860s, the advent of electric motors made it possible for a gyroscope to spin indefinitely; this led to the first prototype gyrocompasses. The first functional marine gyrocompass was patented in 1904 by German inventor Hermann Anschtz-Kaempfe.[12] The American Elmer Sperry followed with his own design later that year, and other nations soon realized the military importance of the invention in an age in which naval prowess was the most significant measure of military powerand created their own gyroscope industries. The Sperry Gyroscope Company quickly expanded to provide aircraft and naval stabilizers as well, and other gyroscope developers followed suit.[13] In 1917, the Chandler Company of Indianapolis, created the "Chandler gyroscope", a toy gyroscope with a pull string and pedestal. Chandler continued to produce the toy until the company was purchased by TEDCO inc. in 1982. The chandler toy is still produced by TEDCO today.[14] In the first several decades of the 20th century, other inventors attempted (unsuccessfully) to use gyroscopes as the basis for early black box navigational systems by creating a stable platform from which accurate acceleration measurements could be performed (in order to bypass the need for star sightings to calculate position). Similar principles were later employed in the development of inertial guidance systems for ballistic missiles.[15] During World War II, the gyroscope became the prime component for aircraft and anti-aircraft gun sights.[16] Gyroscopes are also being used in portable electronic devices such as Apple's current generation of iPad and iPhone. The accelerometer provides 6 component motion sensing, measuring the extent and rate of rotation in space (roll, pitch and yaw)

12th Sept 1743

"Serson's Speculum" sextant was first tested. Basically this is a spinning to top that has a flat mirror like surface on the top. It was designed to be used at sea in foggy or misty conditions. By looking through the line of sight through a quadrant at the reflected image of the sun in the mirror (Seron's speculum) and aligning this with the direct light of the sun, a angle can be taken. Halving this angle gives the true horizon (even if the horizon cannot be seen). The idea is that the Seron's speculum (spinning top) can be aligned with the horizon. Details of "Serson's Speculum" are published in "The Gentleman's Magazine" 1754 Vol 24 p. 446-448. Johann Bohnenberger (at the University of Tubingen) 'discovered' the gyroscope (gyroscope name was coined in 1852). Professor Walter R. Johnson of the University of Pennsylvania exhibited a "Rotascope". Scotsman Mr. Edward Sang suggested an experiment using a device like a gyroscope to the Royal Scottish Society of Arts.

1754 1817 1831 1836

1852

The French scientist Jean Bernard Leon Foucault (1826-64) first used the name gyroscope. Conducted many experiments with gyroscopes and was credited with the invention of the gyroscope. A new style of demonstration gyroscope is created that uses gravitational torque to get a gyroscope to rotate around a centre base. The design was created by Julius Plcker 1801-1868 and Friedrich Fessel 1821- ca. 1860. Original patent of an Austrian engineer M. Obry was finialized after being sold to Whitehead Torpedo Works Fiume. H. Anschtz-Kaempfe patented a ships gyrocompass on 26th March 1904, based on work from 1901. Gyrostabilizer experiments carried out by Herr Otto Schlick on the "Sea-bar" torpedo-boat. First working ships gyrocompass was developed by H. Anschtz-Kaempfe First apparatus for steadying a ship in England was installed in October, 1908 to R.M.S Lochiel. Construction was carried out at the Neptune Works of Swan, Hunter And Wigham Richardson (Newcastle). Elmer A. Sperry built the first automatic pilot for aircraft using gyroscopes. Elmer A. Sperry started selling gyrocompasses in US and later in Britain. Sperry Company (Elmer A. Sperry) installed the first Sperry gyrostabilizer to stop roll on ships. The Anschtz Company completed and installed the first automatic pilot for a ship. First artificial horizon in aircraft used.

1852-1968

1898 1904 17th July 1906 1908 1908

1909 1911 1915 1916 1916