Polhemus Announces MINUTEMAN™: A Low Cost, Drift Free, Dual Sensor 3 Degree-of-Freedom Tracker

Posted: May 15, 2006

COLCHESTER, VT, (March 15, 2006)---- Polhemus, the industry leader in 6 Degree-Of-Freedom (6DOF) motion capture, tracking and digitizing technologies is proud to announce MINUTEMAN™, the new low cost 3 Degree-of-Freedom (3DOF) tracking product. MINUTEMAN represents a quantum leap in new technology and state of the art Digital Signal Processor (DSP) electronics which results in amajor price reduction for tracking technology. MINUTEMAN is drift free, has the speed of 75 Hz per sensor and offers ease of use via an intuitive Graphical User Interface (GUI). The electronics unit (E-Pod), which is powered by the USB interface and contains the electromagnetic source, is only slightly larger than a pack of playing cards. Full InertiaCube2 emulation software is also provided for plug-and-play hardware replacement without having to worry about rewriting code. The combination of all these attributes clearly positions MINUTEMAN as a new class of electromagnetic tracking, offering significant improvements over competitive technologies. 

MINUTEMAN is the ideal solution for orientation sensing requirements of 3DOF applications where price is a principal concern. It offers fast update rates and high resolution, which makes it perfect for Head Mounted Display-based (HMD) virtual reality, games, and simulation and training applications. 

MINUTEMAN permits up to two sensors per system and is available with one of four different operating frequencies which allows up to four systems to operate simultaneously in the same environment. It also incorporates its own on-board microprocessor technology, which means it does not tie up your CPU time to make complicated process calculations. System software includes a Graphical User Interface (GUI), Software Developer's Kit (SDK) and a predictive filter allowing up to 50 milliseconds of prediction. Mounting brackets on sensors are compatible with the spacing of standard Polhemus sensors as well as most competing system footprints. 

"With over 35 years of experience, Polhemus holds and maintains the leadership role in the advancement of electromagnetic tracking technology," Polhemus President and CEO Al Rodgers said. "Thanks to MINUTEMAN, Polhemus now offers a low-cost, drift free 3DOF solution." 

Polhemus provides the absolute best in time proven 6DOF systems, eye tracking, and handheld three-dimensional scanners. These products already are in wide use in such areas as medical applications, university research, military training and simulation, and computer-aided design.

Contact sales@polhemus.com for more information.