Press Releases Home > News > Press Releases Ascension Provides Motion Tracking for Homeland Defense Center "LiveActor" System Burlington, Vermont USA: February 26, 2003: The University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Human Modeling and Simulation (HMS) has combined Ascension Technology’s ReActor motion tracker with EON Reality’s display and software to form LiveActor, an important new research facility. LiveActor is a full-size immersive environment where live subjects can interact with virtual people in various training applications. LiveActor has been designated an EON Homeland Security and Defense Center (HDC). EON’s collaborative HDC initiative provides government agencies, defense companies and related partners with advanced simulation and training solutions. The HDC can visually demonstrate, interactively practice and evaluate specific aspects of homeland security such as bioterrorism, border security and intelligence. To date, EON has developed five Homeland Defense Centers. At the Center for Human Modeling and Simulation, the LiveActor HDC is designed to train emergency personnel, security personnel, cross-cultural sensitivity, foreign language and cultural immersion. According to Dr. Norm Badler, Director of the Center for Human Modeling and Simulation and Professor of Computer and Information Science, “These areas require close-up virtual humans with appropriate behaviors and input channels that can inform them of the emotional or physiological state of the trainee. Some of the methods we use will include facial expression tracking, gesture quality recognition and speech analysis.” HMS chose Ascension’s ReActor tracking system for several reasons. First was its ability to provide accurate data for real-time human motion capture with freedom of movement. Second was its insensitivity to metallic objects, allowing users to move props and furniture into the capture space without worrying about interference. Third was that passive optical systems are sensitive to light which makes them impossible to use with LiveActor’s projection system. Finally, HMS found ReActor’s construction robust enough for constant use without concern for camera tripods or constant re-calibration. ReActor features 480 precision electronic cameras embedded in 12 modular bars. In use, subjects wear active-optical, slim-line infrared markers “seen” by the infrared detectors and electronics in the bars. A significant amount of the signal processing is handled within those bars, making the ReActor’s data extremely clean. ReActor’s Instant Marker Recognition instantly reacquires blocked markers, minimizing data interruption. For LiveActor, the EON Reality stereo display wall occupies one of the long “walls” of the ReActor space. Mats W. Johansson, President of EON Reality, explains, “This partnership represents a significant step in our ongoing efforts within Homeland Security, Defense and Visualization. Bringing together the expertise of the Center for Human Modeling and Simulation, Ascension’s ReActor motion tracking technology and EON’s scalable software and seamlessly integrated display solutions will provide a one-of-a-kind resource for research as well as for training in extreme event scenarios that are very difficult to replicate.” LiveActor was made possible through grants and support furnished by the National Science Foundation, University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, Ascension Technology Corporation and EON Reality. Funded as a research facility, LiveActor will be used by graduate students in HMS and undergraduate students in the University’s Digital Media Design program as well. EON Reality, Inc. (Irvine, CA) is the world's leading interactive visual content management software provider. EON's products have a high level of interactivity, simulation realism, rendering quality and integrated data exchange capability. Several large corporations such as Office Depot, Suzuki, Dell, Lexmark, Canon, Hon, Samsung, Shimano, Audi, Nokia and Bank of America use EON's software solutions. For more information about EON Reality, Inc., please visit www.eonreality.com. The University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Human Modeling and Simulation (Philadelphia, PA) investigates computer graphics modeling and animation techniques for embodied agents, virtual humans and their applications. For more information, visit http://hms.upenn.edu/. Ascension Technology Corporation (Burlington, VT) is an industry pioneer in the innovation and production of motion tracking products. Ascension’s magnetic, optical and inertial trackers are used in animation, virtual reality, simulation, biomechanics, medical imaging and military applications. For more information about Ascension and the ReActor motion capture system, visit http://www.ascension-tech.com/products/reactor. end For Immediate Release Contact: Jack Scully (802) 893-6657 or e-mail: jscully@ascension-tech.com Back to Top