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Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) accelerometers are widely employed in consumer and tactical applications, but their use in navigation-grade applications, notably commercial air travel, remains limited by device performance.  MEMS accelerometers have yet to supplant the current gold standard for navigation-grade accelerometer technology, Honeywell's quartz accelerometer (QA) product line generally known as the Q-Flex.  However, the inertial sensor community has made great strides forward over the last 15 years and is likely on the brink of overcoming the final hurdles.  To help one understand recent progress and the remaining gaps in device performance, this tutorial will review navigation-grade accelerometer requirements, emphasize and elaborate upon some often overlooked performance aspects, and review technology advances made by the community that are approaching Q-Flex capabilities.

The quantum mechanical realm offers a new range of mechanisms and devices for inertial sensing and timekeeping, with applications to positioning, navigation, timekeeping and geodesy – as well as new means of imaging, computing and communicating securely.