What is Virtual Reality?

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3D Trackers

Main types

  • Mechanical
    • Usually a mechanical arm attached to the tracked object
    • Very accurate, short lag, but restict movement

  • Electromagnetic
    • Measures strength of magentic fields in coils attached to objects
    • Fast, short lag, but often prone to interference
    • Limited range

  • Optical
    • Typically, pulsating LEDs monitored by a camera at a fixed position
    • Fast, reasonably short lag, but often prone to interference caused by ambinent lighting confiditions
    • Line of sight problems

  • Acoustic
    • Use ultrasound waves to measure position and orientation
    • Slow and often imprecise

Author: Michael Louka (mlouka@sn.no)
Last Updated: 18 November 1996