iFixit explains how an iPhone 4's gyroscope works

The guys at iFixit, in partnership with the folks at Chipworks, tried to explain all the magic that makes a gyroscope turn a simple smartphone into a window to other worlds.

The iPhone 4 uses a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) to detect movement, being a device almost identical, for all purposes, to the L3G4200D manufactured by ST Micro, whose component GK10A you see above and left.

The displacement of a small mass caused by the movement of the iPhone in your hands causes small capacitive changes that the V654A ASIC (above and right) converts to information such as the aim of a weapon or the position of an object in a game.

For more images and explanations and fascinating images from MEMS, check out the full post here.