A diamond quantum gyroscope, developed by students at Tomsk State University, is being tested for future Russian drones.
During the work of the acceleration program of the federal project "Platform of University Technological Entrepreneurship," they came up with a device that is ten times more sensitive than most existing gyroscopes for navigating UAVs in space.
According to RIA "Novosti," with reference to the press service of the National Technological Initiative (NTI), the existing microelectromechanical systems in gyroscopes based on vibration sensors are quite large in size and cannot resist electromagnetic radiation. The development of Tomsk students will make the device more compact, cheaper, more wear-resistant, and more resistant to radiation and electromagnetic radiation.
The gyroscope will be based on a diamond with certain color centers (these are defects in the diamond lattice that allow it to absorb optical radiation; if the diamond is transparent, it does not absorb radiation). Diamond, unlike other semiconductors, has higher thermal conductivity, resistance to aggressive environments, and radiation.
The new development does not yet have a name and is undergoing experiments related to testing theories about the operation of the device. It is assumed that the diamond gyroscope will be able to work even in space.