Silicon Sensing – or Silicon Sensing Systems Ltd, to give it its full title – is based at Plymouth, in the southwest of England.  It is a gyroscope sensors and inertial systems engineering development and manufacturing company with a global presence.  Jointly owned by Atlantic Inertial Systems and Sumitomo Precision Products, the company was established in 1999.  Silicon Sensing is a classic joint venture – building on the strengths of each partner to create a force that is strong in product development and strong in manufacture.  Most recently (at the end of 2009) AIS was acquired by Goodrich Corporation and is now part of its Sensors and Integrated Systems Division.

Silicon Sensing’s inertial systems parentage can be traced back through BAE Systems Inertial Products to the Sperry Gyroscope Company founded in 1913, giving it access to a depth of expertise in the field of complex inertial systems and their deployment in real-world applications.

Innovative MEMS gyro designs developed in the UK are fabricated in silicon MEMS at its facility in Japan.  Now, after eleven years in business, the company has established itself as one of the major players in the fast-moving market for automotive and commercial motion sensors and systems.