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From: acad!megalon!peb@uunet.UU.NET (Paul Baclaski)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: Real-time Optical 3d tracker
Keywords: head mounted displays
Message-ID: <521@megalon.UUCP>
Date: 1 Jun 90 05:26:18 GMT
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In case this has not been mentioned yet, the ACM SIGGRAPH Vol. 24, March
1990 has many interesting papers on virtual reality.  The one I want to
point out describes a 200 update-per-second helmet tracker that uses
cameras and LEDs mounted on the ceiling.  This is a significant speed up
over the magnetic based system that is used in currently available VR
systems.  The paper is "A Real-time Optical 3D Tracker for Head-mounted
Display Systems" by Jih-fang Wang, Vernon Chi and Henry Fuchs of University
of North Carolina.

I tried out the VPL system at an open house last year and speeding up 
the tracking seems to be very important; the magnetic system has about 5 
updates per second which makes hand-eye coordination difficult.
 

Paul E. Baclaski
peb@acad.com