Microscopic view of robots adjusting MEMS gyroscopes

Navigating the Future: How Advanced Control Systems are Revolutionizing MEMS Gyroscopes

Lena Voss in Tech & Innovation July 2025 • 4 min read.

"Unlocking Precision: Exploring Sliding Mode Control and Robust Design in Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems"

In an era defined by automation and precision, angular velocity sensors, commonly known as gyroscopes, play a pivotal role. From stabilizing drones to guiding spacecraft, these devices estimate angular velocity across diverse applications. While traditional gyroscopes like spinning discs and fiber optic models have served us well, the rise of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) gyroscopes has marked a significant leap forward.

MEMS gyroscopes offer a compelling combination of low power consumption, energy efficiency, compact size, and cost-effectiveness. These qualities have fueled their proliferation in everything from smartphones and toys to sophisticated weaponry and automobiles. As Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) continue to evolve, MEMS technology is increasingly vital for both industrial and tactical-grade sensing applications.

Despite their advantages, MEMS gyroscopes face technical and commercial hurdles. Manufacturing variations, parameter uncertainties, and external disturbances like electrical and thermal noise can significantly degrade their performance, causing deviations from specifications and potential failures. These imperfections can lead to discrepancies between expected and actual performance, necessitating advanced control mechanisms to mitigate these 'parasitic' effects.

Why is Robust Control Crucial for MEMS Gyroscopes?

Microscopic view of robots adjusting MEMS gyroscopes

Ideally, MEMS gyroscope modes should operate independently with perfectly matched natural frequencies, ensuring that the output is solely dependent on the angular rate. However, real-world fabrication flaws and environmental distortions introduce frequency disparities and unwanted coupling, leading to erroneous outputs. To counteract these issues, robust control systems are essential.

Traditional research has focused on advancing micro-electromechanical fabrication processes, sensor modeling, and dynamic control for model identification and sensing. However, many of these approaches fall short by:

Neglecting mechanical coupling caused by manufacturing imperfections.
Ignoring noise considerations in adaptive controllers.
Failing to account for the substantial movement of the proof mass along the drive axis in adaptive modes.
Overlooking driving mode control while regulating sense mode oscillation.

The most significant noise source often stems from parasitic capacitances within capacitive sensing elements. While phase differential sensing schemes offer robustness against variations in sensing element scale factors, their use is generally restricted to open-loop operations. To address these limitations, advanced control strategies are needed.

The Future of MEMS Gyroscope Control

The development and implementation of advanced control strategies like sliding mode control represent a significant step forward in enhancing the reliability and precision of MEMS gyroscopes. By addressing the inherent imperfections and external disturbances that affect these devices, we can unlock their full potential across a wide range of applications. As technology evolves, continued innovation in control system design will be crucial for maintaining the performance and accuracy of MEMS gyroscopes in an increasingly demanding world.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1109/cetic4.2018.8530901, Alternate LINK

Title: Robust Control Of A Dimensionless Dual Axis Mems Vibratory Gyroscope- A Sliding Mode Approach

Journal: 2018 International CET Conference on Control, Communication, and Computing (IC4)

Publisher: IEEE

Authors: Pheba Mary Varghese, P S Lal Priya

Published: 2018-07-01

Everything You Need To Know

What makes MEMS gyroscopes a preferred choice over traditional gyroscopes in many modern applications?

MEMS gyroscopes are favored because they combine low power consumption, energy efficiency, compact size, and cost-effectiveness. These characteristics have enabled their widespread use in devices ranging from smartphones and toys to sophisticated weaponry and automobiles. Their increasing importance is also evident in industrial and tactical-grade sensing applications, especially within evolving Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs). While traditional gyroscopes such as spinning discs and fiber optic models have been valuable, MEMS gyroscopes represent a significant advancement due to these advantages.

Why is 'robust control' so critical for the accurate functioning of MEMS gyroscopes?

Robust control is essential for MEMS gyroscopes to overcome real-world fabrication flaws and environmental distortions that introduce frequency disparities and unwanted coupling. Ideally, the modes of a MEMS gyroscope should operate independently with perfectly matched natural frequencies to ensure that the output depends solely on the angular rate. However, manufacturing imperfections cause deviations, leading to erroneous outputs, which robust control systems aim to correct.

In what specific ways do traditional research approaches often fail to adequately address the challenges in MEMS gyroscope control?

Traditional research often falls short by neglecting mechanical coupling caused by manufacturing imperfections, ignoring noise considerations in adaptive controllers, failing to account for the substantial movement of the proof mass along the drive axis in adaptive modes, and overlooking driving mode control while regulating sense mode oscillation. These oversights limit the effectiveness of conventional approaches in enhancing MEMS gyroscope performance.

What is the primary source of noise in MEMS gyroscopes, and how do current sensing schemes attempt to mitigate it?

Parasitic capacitances within capacitive sensing elements are often the most significant noise source in MEMS gyroscopes. While phase differential sensing schemes offer robustness against variations in sensing element scale factors, their use is generally restricted to open-loop operations. Addressing these limitations requires advanced control strategies to improve the precision and reliability of MEMS gyroscopes.

How do advanced control strategies, like 'sliding mode control,' improve the reliability and precision of MEMS gyroscopes, and what are the future implications for gyroscope technology?

Advanced control strategies such as sliding mode control represent a significant advancement because they address the inherent imperfections and external disturbances affecting MEMS gyroscopes. By mitigating these issues, the full potential of MEMS gyroscopes can be unlocked across various applications. Continued innovation in control system design will be crucial for maintaining the performance and accuracy of MEMS gyroscopes in demanding environments, ensuring their ongoing relevance as technology advances. The future may incorporate advanced algorithms, machine learning, and AI to adapt and optimize gyroscope performance in real-time.