System Operation Overview
Visualeyez™ is a family of innovative, real-time, active-optical motion capture systems developed to track 3D motions and deliver their contents at the HIGHEST PERFORMANCE-COST RATIO and the LOWEST OVERALL OPERATING COSTS for both the scientific community and the entertainment industry.
System Function
A Visualeyez™ system basically repeatedly captures the 3D positions of markers attached on motion capture subjects very quickly. The subjects can be people, animals, objects, machines, or a combination of them. Should the subjects move during the process, the sensed position data would show the marker displacements in time and thus also captures the motions of the subject(s).
Operation Flow
The user specifies the desired motion capture modes and parameters (e.g. marker names, sampling period, frame-rate, coordinate reference frame, where to store data, etc.) according to his/her specifications through the friendly VZSoft™ graphical user interface. After initiating the capture, VZSoft™ passes the modes and parameters to the trackers. The trackers set up the TCM(s) (target control modules) either via a radio link or a thin tether cable. Subsequently, the TCMs activate the LED markers and the trackers sense their 3D positions. Then the trackers stream the captured marker data back to VZSoft™, thus completing the 3D motion capture operation.
Intrinsic Marker Identification
The markers of a Visualeyez™ system are sensed one at a time, under full control of the system. Therefore the marker ID for each captured data is intrinsically known and labeled automatically. Each marker is distinguished from all others at all times, regardless of how close they get to each other, so that 'marker-swapping' will never happen.
Real-Time Operation with Uniform Latency
A proprietary technology enables the Visualeyez™ system to operate at exceedingly high speed, in spite of the simple one-marker-at-a-time capture method. After a marker is captured, its data is output to user applications with a constant sub-millisecond latency. This allows timely feedback response and true real-time operation, which is essential for advanced applications such as virtual-reality, biofeedback, dynamic control, interactive learning, full-body interactive gaming, virtual studio broadcasting, etc.
Portability and Easy Calibration
Extremely portable and easy to set up, each Visualeyez™ tracker is built on a carbon composite structure and comes complete with a tripod for mounting. A single-tracker system, complete with its wheeled transportation case, tripod, a number of markers and all other standard accessories, weighs in at less than 30kg and can easily be carried and checked in as a baggage on a flight. Individual trackers are factory calibrated and calibration of a multi-tracker system is completely automatic and continuous when the VZAutoCal™ is used.
2008-06-10
VZAutoCal™：No more Manual Calibration
Instant Automatic Calibration
VZAutoCal™ is for real-time motion capture with two or more of our Visualeyez™ trackers (i.e., a 'multi-tracker system' (MTS)). It performs the same functions as the VZServer™ does, except that no manual calibration labor is required from the user any more! It transmits commands from a host computer (normally via VZSoft™ ) to the trackers of the MTS. Then gathers the multiple data streams generated by the multiple trackers, and fuses them into a single stream and sends it out as the MTS output (normally back to the VZSoft™ GUI). In order for VZAutoCal™ to do the data fusion properly, the positions and orientations of the slave trackers relative to the master tracker must first be determined; VZAutoCal™ performs this process automatically in a real capture session rather than in a separate calibration procedure. VZAutoCal™ eliminates the need to perform a laborious time-consuming manual calibration process currently required by all other 3D motion capture systems before they can be used. It achieves this by making use of the initial motion capture data collected from the markers on the actor. Thus a capture session is started simply with the actor(s) walking into the capture area. There is no need to calibrate the system beforehand any more!
Continuous Adaptive Calibration
In addition, VZAutoCal™ offers another revolutionary function - Continuous Adaptive Calibration. It will monitor the motion capture data continuously, "on-the-fly", during a capture session and keep the system always in the best calibration possible, without any user involvement! This means even if one or more of the trackers are moved during a capture session due to whatever reason, man-made or by temperature variation, the system will return to high accuracy automatically! Thus the user can be rest-assured of always getting the highest quality 3D motion capture data for their applications. There is no need to be nervous about the system losing calibration in the middle of a capture session any more! With this latest advancement, the Visualeyez™ system is now a truly "turn-key" system.
Introduction of PTI
VISION
PhoeniX Technologies Inc., headquartered in Burnaby, BC, Canada, was founded by Dr. Chris Ma in 1996 with the vision to create a superior motion-tracking system for the delivery of high quality real-time 3D motion data. The original purpose of the system was for unmanned autonomous control of machines in hazardous environments. Such applications require the system to be truly ‘real-time’ in nature in order to accomplish dynamic feedback control. The system must also be capable of intrinsic marker identification for maximum reliability in unmanned operation, high accuracy measurement for precision control, fast data output with uniform latency for high dynamic responsiveness, and wide angle sensing to accommodate a large operating space without requiring a huge setup space.
PRODUCTS
Armed with an innovative worldwide-patented enabling technology and several Canadian government research funding, PTI developed its first active optical motion tracker, VZ2000, in 1999. This product was proven to be the widest angle, moving parts free, high accuracy, high resolution, real-time optical 3D motion tracker in the world. Two years later, the even faster VZ3000 was developed and showcased in the world's first multi-actor public live animation demonstration in Siggraph 2001. Since then research and development of the tracker performance and design evolved, resulting in the VZ4000 available today. This latest system retained all the inherent features of the patented technology along with even faster sampling rate and higher immunity to ambient lights. Recently, PTI developed yet another revolutionary product, the VZAutoCal™. This software resolved a long-standing universal difficulty of using a 3D motion capture system – manual calibration. As a result our systems no longer require the users to do any manual calibration work. This not only relieves the user from any requirement to understand our system technology which is necessary for other systems, but also eliminates any user concerns on the possibility of calibration degradation during a prolonged motion capture session.
CUSTOMER BENEFITS
PTI technologies are driven by real world applications and product innovation which have yielded scalable solutions that focus on performance and reliability. The benefits to our customers are state-of-the-art, durable, high performance 3D motion tracking systems which can be used for a variety of research & entertainment applications. This allows users to focus on their core competencies while applying our systems as simple assistive tools or instruments.
BUSINESS PHILOSOPHYPTI
believes that to be persistently successful at least four parties (customers, distributors, employees and shareholders) must benefit from its business operation. Towards this goal PTI recently unveiled a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Taiwan to help focus its business activities on technology research & development to improve product performance and reliability even further, as well as to lower production costs through better design and higher efficiency. Moreover, PTI is engaged in expanding its global distribution network to provide superior support to our customers. All these should result in even lower prices, better products, faster and more friendly professional services and lower product operating costs, hence more satisfied customers and higher sales volume, benefiting all four parties.
PhoeniX Technologies Inc., headquartered in Burnaby, BC, Canada, was founded by Dr. Chris Ma in 1996 with the vision to create a superior motion-tracking system for the delivery of high quality real-time 3D motion data. The original purpose of the system was for unmanned autonomous control of machines in hazardous environments. Such applications require the system to be truly ‘real-time’ in nature in order to accomplish dynamic feedback control. The system must also be capable of intrinsic marker identification for maximum reliability in unmanned operation, high accuracy measurement for precision control, fast data output with uniform latency for high dynamic responsiveness, and wide angle sensing to accommodate a large operating space without requiring a huge setup space.
PRODUCTS
Armed with an innovative worldwide-patented enabling technology and several Canadian government research funding, PTI developed its first active optical motion tracker, VZ2000, in 1999. This product was proven to be the widest angle, moving parts free, high accuracy, high resolution, real-time optical 3D motion tracker in the world. Two years later, the even faster VZ3000 was developed and showcased in the world's first multi-actor public live animation demonstration in Siggraph 2001. Since then research and development of the tracker performance and design evolved, resulting in the VZ4000 available today. This latest system retained all the inherent features of the patented technology along with even faster sampling rate and higher immunity to ambient lights. Recently, PTI developed yet another revolutionary product, the VZAutoCal™. This software resolved a long-standing universal difficulty of using a 3D motion capture system – manual calibration. As a result our systems no longer require the users to do any manual calibration work. This not only relieves the user from any requirement to understand our system technology which is necessary for other systems, but also eliminates any user concerns on the possibility of calibration degradation during a prolonged motion capture session.
CUSTOMER BENEFITS
PTI technologies are driven by real world applications and product innovation which have yielded scalable solutions that focus on performance and reliability. The benefits to our customers are state-of-the-art, durable, high performance 3D motion tracking systems which can be used for a variety of research & entertainment applications. This allows users to focus on their core competencies while applying our systems as simple assistive tools or instruments.
BUSINESS PHILOSOPHYPTI
believes that to be persistently successful at least four parties (customers, distributors, employees and shareholders) must benefit from its business operation. Towards this goal PTI recently unveiled a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Taiwan to help focus its business activities on technology research & development to improve product performance and reliability even further, as well as to lower production costs through better design and higher efficiency. Moreover, PTI is engaged in expanding its global distribution network to provide superior support to our customers. All these should result in even lower prices, better products, faster and more friendly professional services and lower product operating costs, hence more satisfied customers and higher sales volume, benefiting all four parties.
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