The game changer for mobile gaming

How your phone knows up

Chapter 1

The tiny silicon diving boards

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Answer

Chapter 2

Spinning without moving

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Chapter 3

The brain behind the sensors

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YOUR GOAL

Master of How your phone knows up

Ch 2 · Spinning without moving

steve The magic of the Coriolis effect

steve MEMS Gyroscope

Vibe in place, vibe in place, silicon knows when we turn.

steve Adding the third dimension

The game changer for mobile gaming

steve Mobile gaming was revolutionized in 2010 when gyroscopes allowed players to steer by tilting.

Adding the third dimension

steve While accelerometers measure straight-line movement, gyroscopes measure the twist and roll of your device.

Spinny Side Up

BETA

steve Spin the gyroscope to learn how your phone always knows which way is up.

Fun Fact

No spinning wheels: Smartphone gyroscopes do not actually spin; they use microscopic vibrating silicon forks to detect rotation.

Gossip

Do motion-controlled games feel natural or frustrating?

Quiz

What shape do the microscopic vibrating parts inside many MEMS gyroscopes resemble?

steve The game changer for mobile gaming

Quiz

What does a gyroscope measure that an accelerometer cannot?

steve Powering virtual and augmented realities

Quiz

What physical force do smartphone gyroscopes utilize to detect rotation?

Quiz

Why don't phone gyroscopes use physical spinning wheels like traditional ship gyroscopes?

Quiz

In aviation terms, what are the three rotational movements tracked by a 3-axis gyroscope?

Quiz

How many times per second do typical phone gyroscopes track rotational changes?

Quiz

Which popular mobile app genre relies most heavily on gyroscopes to keep virtual objects anchored to the real world?

Quiz

Which Apple smartphone first introduced a built-in MEMS gyroscope in 2010?