Science Articles

The Science of a Flying Gyroscope

Gyroscopes: A Tool for the Ages

Gyroscopes can be very perplexing objects because they move in peculiar ways and even seem to defy gravity. These special properties make gyroscopes extremely important in everything from your bicycle to the advanced navigation system on the space shuttle. A typical airplane uses about a dozen gyroscopes in everything from its compass to its autopilot. The Russian Mir space station used 11 gyroscopes to keep its orientation to the sun, and the Hubble Space Telescope has a batch of navigational gyros as well. Gyroscopic effects are also central to things like yo-yos, and Frisbees ( and X-zylos! ).

The Basics of Flight

When you examine a cross-section of an airplane's wing, or airfoil, you'll notice that the top part is curved and the bottom part is relatively flat. As the wing moves forward, the air flowing over the top travels faster than the air flowing beneath, resulting in a lower pressure area above the wing. The relative pressure differential provides the upward force called lift and is the reason airplanes, birds and X-zylos fly.

A Match Made in Heaven

By bending an airfoil into the shape of a cylinder ( like Mark Forti did, then patented over 14 years ago ) apply gyroscopic principles to it ( give it a good spin when you throw it ), and add some forward thrust ( throw it like a football ) it rides the wind like nothing else. This plastic cylinder with a thin metal leading edge weighing in at less than one ounce has been thrown 655 feet! Beating the Frisbee distance record by 100 feet.

The flying gyroscope cylinder is fascinating to watch and produces ooo's and wows every where it flys. We at xzylo.com think that the flying cylinder is destined to travel the path of it's cousin onto golf courses and futbol pitches around the world to create Ultimate Gyro (or Gyro) and Gyro Golf leagues and tournaments.

We are in the process of creating two new website forums dedicated to helping organize the Gyro Sports Movement. If you have information on anyone who has been experimenting with their Ultimate team by introducing an X-zylo or brining an X-zylo to your local disc golf course please Contact Us so we can begin networking and forming teams, guidelines and standards.

Gyroscopes Forming the Future

Use the links below to read up on just a few cutting edge gyro tech applications.

-- Sanyo Chooses Invensense Gyroscopes for Current and Future Camera Models Featuring Image Stabilization

-- Phase nulling optical gyroscope

-- Applications expand for downsized piezoelectric vibrating gyroscopes

-- High Performance GPS Navigation with MLX90609 Gyroscope

-- Laser Gyroscopes?? The Revolution in Guidance and Control