Gyroscopes may cease spinning: Optical gyroscopes without moving parts are more reliable and more rugged than conventional mechanical systems

After 20 years of development, the first commercial optical gyroscope - the ring laser gyro - is flying regularly in civilian aircraft and has logged 2.5 million flight hours to date. Ring laser gyros, or RLGs, have replaced mechanical gyros as standard equipment in Boeing 757 and 767 jetliners and the Airbus 310, and are being eyed for a variety of next-generation military systems. The optical gyro's greater reliability, wide dynamic range, and ability to with-stand high-g fields and harsh environments make it superior to mechanical gyroscopes, with their spinning rotors and complex gimballed mounts.