![]() DARPA is seeking clocks that are accurate to millionths of a second for up to a week. A trusty clock is half the equation.įor defense applications, navigation must be extremely precise. If you drive a steady 60 miles per hour, you know after one hour you've traveled 60 miles. This works like how you might calculate distance driving a car on a long stretch of highway. Ironically, DARPA is now investigating small, accurate clocks to help vehicles navigate when GPS is unavailable. Rather than measuring time by astronomical events like the Earth's rotation, or by mechanical means like gears, springs or pendulums, it measured time by electromagnetic signals emitted by electrons around an atom, making it incredibly precise.Ītomic clocks paved the way for GPS, which relies on super-accurate, synchronized clocks. National Bureau of Standards, now the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The atomic clock was invented in 1948 at what was then the U.S. Miniature clocks enable advanced navigation technology At the time, CSAC was the smallest atomic clock in the world, and is still the smallest one you can buy. In the early 2000s, the Labs helped develop the Chip Scale Atomic Clock, which is little larger than a matchbook, or about 17 cubic centimeters. Sandia has experience building compact clocks. DARPA requested the devices to be accurate within one-millionth of a second after one week. ![]() "They want 1 cubic centimeter for everything, and currently there's no atomic clock with this kind of size," said Yuan-Yu, whose core design is even smaller-about 1 centimeter long and a mere 2 millimeters wide and tall, for a grand total of 0.04 cubic centimeters. Yuan-Yu is leading the Sandia team engaged in this effort. Last year, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency challenged research teams to build smaller, more accurate clocks. Press the plus (+) button to change between oF for Fahrenheit and oC for Celsius.But he's not the only one pushing the limits of tiny timepieces. Press SET 11 times: Temperature: The time will read oF or oC.Press the plus (+) button to change between 12 for regular time or 24 for military time. Press SET 10 times: Military: The minute display will read 12 or 24.Press SET 9 times: Day of week will flash: Press the plus (+) button to change the day of week. ![]()
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