Fibre-optic gyroscope

Okay kiddo, have you ever played with a toy gyroscope that spins around really fast and doesn't fall over? Well, a fibre-optic gyroscope is kind of like that, except it uses light instead of spinning.

You see, a gyroscope is a device that helps you know which way you're moving or turning. Planes, boats, and even some phones use gyroscopes to help them figure out where they are and which way they need to go.

A fibre-optic gyroscope works by using a coiled up long and thin piece of glass, called an optical fibre, that carries light inside it. When the fibre is not moving, light moves through it in a straight line. But if the fibre starts twisting or turning, the light waves get a bit squished or stretched as they move through it.

The fibre-optic gyroscope sends light through the fibre in two different directions, and then measures how the light waves change when they come back to a sensor. Based on these changes, the gyroscope can tell if it has turned or moved, and how much.

So, that's how a fibre-optic gyroscope works, without actually spinning like a regular gyroscope. It's a clever tool that helps us navigate and move around, even in situations where other sensors might not work so well. Cool, right?.