Elmer Sperry: The Inventor Who Gave Ships and Planes Their Direction

On October twelfth, eighteen sixty, Elmer Ambrose Sperry was born in Cortland, New York, USA. He was an electrical engineer and inventor, and his academic field was technological innovation with a focus on navigation, stabilization, and control systems.

Sperry is best known for developing and commercializing the practical gyrocompass and other gyroscope-based devices. While the gyroscope principle was known, it was Sperry who engineered reliable systems that could withstand the harsh conditions at sea and in the air. His gyrocompass, which always points to true north independent of the Earth's magnetic field, revolutionized maritime navigation. He also developed an active ship stabilizer to reduce rolling, and a gyro-pilot system for aircraft – an early form of autopilot. Through his company, the Sperry Corporation, he industrialized these technologies and made them standard equipment for the world's navies and the growing aviation industry. Elmer Sperry's inventions laid the foundation for modern inertial navigation and made transportation safer and more precise across the globe.