Davis VPS Proves Valuable Safety Tool for Street Outlaws

Some seven years after it was first put into development and four years after its release to the public for further exploration and exploitation by end users, Davis Technologies’ Vehicle Position Sensor (VPS) is no doubt the standard by which all position-sensing devices, present and future, are measured by (pun not intended).

For the uninitiated, the VPS is a highly accurate gyroscopic device, utilizing gyroscopes, magnetometers (measures the earth’s magnetic field), and accelerometers to provide yaw pitch, roll, and g-force data that can aid drivers and tuners in an array of powerful ways. For one, it can be a secondary tool for monitoring traction losses, with incredibly accurate and detailed g-force readings to indicate even the most minute changes in momentum. To put it into numbers, the unit is accurate to 1/10th of a degree of angle on all axis, and updates at 200 times a second. It is t so sensitive, in fact, that the device can detect changes in yaw, pitch, and roll values from foot traffic around the vehicle.

It’s also the tool that many racers — particularly those in no-prep and no-time racing — utilize to obtain virtual time slips. The VPS can calculate velocity referenced to time and produce an elapsed time over a given distance, down to the inch. We did a deep dive into what the VPS does and how it creates virtual time slips here.

But what it can also do — which wasn’t one of the first features that Davis considered when he began drafting the concept for the VPS —  is improve driver safety.

Because the VPS can sense yaw, pitch, and roll data so quickly and accurately, it can be used to save a drivers’ bacon faster than he or she can even react. The most obvious use that comes to mind is wheelie control. With the VPS properly mounted in a level position inside the cockpit, it can sense wheelstands and work with an ignition box or EFI system to pull power.