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Ascension Launches
Advanced Wireless Tracking
Solution for Immersive Environments
BURLINGTON, VERMONT; MARCH
18, 2004: Ascension
Technology has just
announced the release of 3D
Navigator™, an advanced
wireless tracker for immersive
and real-time visualization
applications. 3D Navigator
is an ergonomically designed
wireless interface between
graphical computers and humans.
Users are free to move without
the hindrance of trailing
cables, giving immersive environments
such as CAVEs and large 3D
projection displays added
realism.
3D Navigator features Ascension’s
new Advanced Wireless DC Magnetic
Technology™ as well as complete
portability and no line-of-sight
interference. High performance
6DOF tracking provides accurate
real-time interactive pointing
and navigating with quick
set up and ease of use ideal
for multi-purpose facilities.
Unprecedented measurement
stability is accompanied by
metal detection and noise
reduction tools that ensure
environmental factors do not
affect tracking.
Advantages of the 3D Navigator
over other tracking solutions
are many. Set-up takes only
minutes. No permanent installation
of overhead grids or cameras
are required. Advanced DC
magnetic technology overcomes
the occlusion problems of
optical and inertial/acoustic
technologies. The system has
a small footprint and attractive
design. Above all, wireless
tracking improves the functionality
and realism of the immersive
experience.
The user wears a wireless
belt pack connected to magnetic
sensors in a hand-held Wanda
3D navigation device and a
head tracker. The sensors’
position and orientation coordinates
are referenced to a pulsed
DC magnetic field. Sensor
data is transmitted over a
spread spectrum RF link to
a compact base station for
processing and high speed
transmission to the application’s
host computer.
Wanda is a palm-sized, thumb-activated
navigation and interaction
tool with a joystick and 3
programmable buttons. It fits
comfortably into the hand
for pointing and manipulation
of 3D objects in a virtual
environment. With Wanda, 3D
Navigator is ideal for use
in virtual prototyping, geophysical
analysis, biomechanic research,
human factors studies, training
simulators and interactive
gaming.
Iowa State University’s Virtual
Reality Center Associate Direct
Carolina Cruz-Neira commends
the new technology. “Part
of the success of our 6-sided
projection system is due to
Ascension’s newly improved
DC magnetic wireless tracking
capabilities. It greatly overcomes
the limitations of previous
metal-sensitive tracking technologies.”
Ascension Technology Corporation
develops magnetic, optical
and inertial motion-tracking
solutions for 3D computer-graphics
applications in military targeting
systems, simulation, virtual
reality, biomechanics, animation
and medicine. For more information,
visit www.ascension-tech.com.
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