Soldiers on target

Civilian casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan could be reduced in the future with smaller missiles and better targeting technology.

So claim the British developers of a new inertial measurement unit (IMU), an electronic device that collects information on a craft’s velocity and position using accelerometers, and direction using gyroscopes.

Atlantic Inertial Systems, based in Plymouth, has unveiled a new IMU the size of a bottle top.

Ian Scaysbrook, chief engineer of military sensors for Atlantic Inertial Systems, said the small size of the device, called MinIM, opens up an array of new application areas.

These applications, he said, could include small 70mm missiles that are better targeted and less likely to affect civilians in war zones.

Atlantic Inertial Systems has patented another use for the device dubbed non-GPS man navigation.