BIOLOGY

InterSense, Inc., the market leader in inertial-based, wireless, tracking technology for visually immersive displays, completed the successful installation of a custom configured, inertial-acoustic IS-900 tracking system in Duke University's world-class, six-sided, virtual reality environment known as the Duke's Visualization Technology Group (VTG), a part of Duke's Pratt School of Engineering, constructed the with support from a National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation Award. The Visroom is located in the Fitzpatrick Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine, and Applied Science, is the only facility of its kind in the Southeast U.S. and the seventh such system in the world. From concept to final installation, InterSense engineers worked closely with Duke's VTG to first validate InterSense's IS-900 tracking solution in a wooden mock-up and then complete the final integration of the InterSense tracking system last month. To track the head, hand or interactive hand-held wand of a researcher, the IS-900 tracking system uses MEMS inertial components, integrated into small, wireless tracking devices, combined with an acoustic position referencing system. Eighteen acoustic referencing transmitters are installed in the seams around the ceiling to deliver accurate, robust, 6 degree-of-freedom tracking throughout the entire 3m x 3m x 3m volume of the immersive display environment. The small size (1 cm in diameter) and installed location of each acoustic transmitter within the display minimizes the visual impact of the tracking system to the user. "The Room is the ideal system for fully immersive simulation and cognitive studies, and for verifying 3D structure between data models and experimental data", states Rachael Brady, Duke University's VTG Director. "Technologies such as the Visroom are used not only to explore data collected through other means, but also as experimental tools in and of themselves." Brady adds, "InterSense's Wireless IS-900 tracking technology offered the best solution for the immersive display room. The speed, accuracy, and low latency of the IS-900 provides the stability and repeatability that is needed for perception and motor control studies envisioned." "We are proud to be part of Duke's premier visualization center and to offer a superior tracking technology solution for the six-sided immersive display environment," states Dean Wormell, InterSense's Marketing Manager. "The IS-900's flexible architecture allows us to install the acoustic referencing sub-system in the seams with minimal visual impact-a key feature for all tracked, immersive displays." Introduced in 1999, InterSense's IS-900 motion tracking product family is an enabling technology used in flight simulation, mission training systems, oil & gas exploration, 3D visualization rooms, and other immersive display applications. With over 1000 systems installed worldwide, the IS-900 product offers reliable & accurate motion tracking for the most demanding applications. Duke's Visualization Technology Group (http://vis.duke.edu) was founded in 2001 with the mission of enhancing the effective use of visualization technologies at Duke University.