Articles
- Submit your technical, how-to
and industry trend articles
to articles@flightsimulation.org
Plain text or email attachment is
fine. We will make every effort to post
pictures you submit.
Article: Immersive
Learning Center for student education in aerospace
From: Elumens
Format: pdf
Posted: 4/15/04
Article: A
Motion Control Toolbox Techpaper
From: Moog
Format: pdf
Posted: 4/15/04
Article: Electro-Mechanical
Actuator
From: Moog
Format: pdf
Posted: 4/15/04
Article: Multi-Layer
Display's
From: Pure Depth
Format: zip
Posted: 4/21/05
Press
Releases - Submit your company press release
to press@flightsimulation.org
Plain text or email attachment is
fine. We will make every effort to post
pictures you submit.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
phasorBIRD
Paper Presented at SPIE Conference
BURLINGTON
,
VERMONT
:
May 5, 2006
– Ascension Technology
Corporation’s Don Odell had the recent honor of presenting a paper -- Next Generation, High Accuracy Optical Tracker for Target Acquisition
and Cueing -- at the SPIE Defense and Security Symposium 2006 in
Orlando
,
Florida
, April 17 – 21.
The paper summarizes the development and capabilities of phasorBIRD™, a high resolution, “lens-less” optical tracking device.
phasorBIRD precisely tracks a pilot’s head over a wide field of view,
at high speed, with accuracy better than 1°
-- a hard requirement for use in helmet-mounted display systems in combat
vehicles, air and ground.
SPIE
-- The International Society for Optical Engineering – is an international
organization committed to the exchange, collection and dissemination of
knowledge in optics, photonics and imaging.
In Ascension’s presentation, Mr. Odell, who is the Primary Engineer of
the phasorBIRD project, explained how phasorBIRD significantly overcomes the
limitations of previous generation magnetic helmet trackers and how the design
fully meets emerging military requirements for target acquisition, intra-cockpit
cueing, and interactive training. In
a nutshell, phasorBIRD enables a pilot to aim weapons, acquire mission-critical
information, and receive self-protection prompts simply by looking at a target
through a reticle (graphical icon) superimposed on the pilot’s visor.
The
phasorBIRD paper can be accessed at
the following link: http://www.ascension-tech.com/news/press_050606.php
Ascension
Technology Corporation (
Burlington
,
Vermont
,
USA
) makes magnetic, optical,
inertial and hybrid head tracking devices for use in flight and simulator
systems. For more information about
its state-of-the-art target acquisition and simulator tracking systems, visit www.ascension-tech.com.
Press Release: JICO
Part Task Trainer
From: SDS International
Format: zip
Posted: June 15, 2005
Ascension’s MotionStar to be Featured in Major
Exhibition on History of Animation
BURLINGTON, VERMONT; May 27, 2005: Ascension Technology Corporation’s MotionStar® will be
featured as part of a major new museum exhibition devoted to the history, art
and techniques of animation. The
City of Moving Images Exposition (La CITIA) will open June 7, 2005 at
the Conservatoire d‘Art et d‘Histoire, located within the Musees d’Annecy
in Annecy, France, and inaugurated during the Annecy International Animated Film
Festival.
The exhibition will introduce museum visitors to the
richness of the world of animation and outline humankind’s efforts over
centuries to capture the art of movement. From
Emile Cohl to Alexander Petrov, Norman McLaren and Alexandre Alexeieff, the
exhibition displays the work of some of animated film’s greatest creators and
looks at the incredible innovations of the genre.
Ascension’s MotionStar has been at the forefront of
motion caption technology since its release in 1995 and has captured human
movement for hundreds of animated characters in films, television shows,
computer games, and ads. In
addition to being used during live interactive exhibit events, MotionStar
Wireless 2 will be highlighted in a continuously presented exhibit film entitled
“Capturing Life.” Hosted by a
virtual hero named “Gaston,” the movie shows the real actor behind the
character of Gaston, wearing a MotionStar system, to explain motion capture and
animation.
“Gaston”
and actor with MotionStar Wireless 2.
Frederic Gaudette, founder of NOVAMOTION, a virtual
motion capture studio and exhibit development partner, states, “MotionStar’s
presence in the new exhibition emphasizes not only the astounding technological
leaps in the past decade but also connects today’s technology to the earliest
methods for recording movement.” Greg
Erdmann from Ascension notes, “While MotionStar was the original
‘motion capture’ system that pioneered the mocap industry, it is
amazing that it remains today, with all its revisions and upgrades, a staple
mocap technology used in studios worldwide.”
Ascension Technology Corporation, based in Burlington,
Vermont, USA, is a leader in magnetic, optical and inertial motion tracking
technologies in the fields of 3D computer graphics applications.
To learn more information about MotionStar and other Ascension
motion-tracking systems, go to Ascension’s website at www.ascension-tech.com
or call 802-893-6657.
Press Release Spatial 3D Display - Perspecta 1.9.
ACTUALITY SHIPS NEW GENERATION OF 3D SPATIAL VISUALIZATION SYSTEM WITH 360
DEGREE VIEW
Perspecta® 1.9 delivers brighter imagery and faster performance for Medical
Imaging, Oil and Gas, and Military
BOSTON, Mass. - May 25, 2005 - At the annual meeting of the Society for
Information Display (SID), Actuality Systems Inc. today unveiled the new
360-degree 3-D spatial visualization workstation. The new system, Perspecta®
1.9 Spatial 3D system, contains a new high-performance embedded graphics system,
faster graphics rendering, and increased-brightness.
"The improved image quality is an important step on our
commercialization path," said Gregg Favalora, Actuality's Founder. "Perspecta®
1.9 allows customers to integrate true 360 degree displays into their
workflow."
The bright, crisp, full-color three-dimensional imagery is visible from
nearly any viewpoint with the unaided eye. Spatial 3-D image data can come from
a variety of sources, such as medical imaging systems (DICOM viewer for CT, MR,
3D ultrasound and PET scans), pharmaceutical design workflows (PDB), military
visualization, oil and gas exploration software, and many other existing 3D
applications which use the OpenGL® API. It includes the core rendering
electronics (CRS), a revolutionary embedded spatial graphics processing system
which uses a cutting-edge graphics processing unit (GPU) to render complex
geometric, volumetric, and merged geometric / volumetric data faster and with
higher contrast than ever before. Key aspects of the new rendering electronics
are an AMD Athlon® 64 chipset, an NVIDIA GeForce® 6800 Ultra GPU, dual gigabit
Ethernet ports, and a proprietary voxel router which drives three 1 GByte/second
links to an embedded optical subsystem."
"We are encouraged by the level of interest we are receiving on
Perspecta® 1.9," said Michael Goldstein, Actuality's President and Chief
Executive Officer, "The company's first shipments of Perspecta® 1.9 are
for the U.S. Air Force for battle field visualization, and one of the world's
largest oil & gas exploration companies."
About Actuality Systems Actuality Systems, Inc. develops the hardware and
software for hologram-like Spatial 3-D visualization, which has been proven to
provide faster and more accurate recognition of information in medical, homeland
security, and oil and gas exploration applications. The Perspecta® Spatial 3-D
System displays color and full-motion images that occupy a volume in space,
giving users a 360-degree view and simultaneous multi-view collaboration -
without goggles. With offices near Boston, Actuality is backed by world-class
venture firms and individuals. For more information, call +1 (781) 229-7812 or
visit www.actuality-systems.com
Disclaimers, Trademarks Perspecta and Perspecta Medical are not FDA-approved,
and may not be used to prevent, diagnose, or treat disease. Perspecta Medical
does not conform to the full DICOM specification and is for use in research
settings only. Actuality and Perspecta are registered trademarks of Actuality
Systems, Inc. OpenGL is a registered trademark of Silicon Graphics, Inc. DS
Viewer is a trademark of Accelrys. 3Space Assistant is a trademark of TGS Inc.
Athlon is a registered trademark of AMD.
Media Contact info: Sandy Miller, Actuality Systems, +1 (781) 229-7812 x127 -
smiller@actuality-systems.com
Ascension Technology is pleased to announce the HyBIRD™, our new
high-end head tracker designed specifically for the simulation & training
markets.
We will be showing this tracker for the first time this month at: Laval
Virtual Exposition: Laval, France. April 20-24th. (Immersion Stand No. A1, A2,
A3)
ITEC: Amsterdam, Netherlands. April 26-28. (EST Stand No. F28).
To view the HyBIRD technical brochure in Adobe Acrobat format please go to
the following link:
<http://www.ascension-tech.com/mailing/Hy-BIRD.pdf>
PRESS RELEASE:
Best of Optical and Inertial Technologies Now Work as One
New Helmet Tracker Provides 360° Coverage Without Occlusions or Metal
Distortion
BURLINGTON, VERMONT; April 11, 2005: Ascension Technology announces Hy-BIRD
™ , a new hybrid tracker that fuses both optical and inertial data streams
together for all-attitude tracking -- 100% of the time. Even if its primary
light emitters are blocked or its field of view exceeded, angular tracking
continues uninterrupted.
Hy-BIRD's optical technology provides six degrees-of-freedom tracking of its
detector's location 240 times per second with accuracy better than a degree and
minimal lag. This enables undistorted helmet tracking in fixed, motion-based and
mobile environments.
A MicroStrain inertial sensor (www.microstrain.com) is fully integrated into
Hy-BIRD to continue tracking in those instances in which the optical tracker is
not operational. Previously, optical trackers skip measurements when their
detector loses line-of-sight contact with their light source. Hy-BIRD cures this
problem. A robust inertial sensor with embedded microprocessor and on-board
digital filtering seamlessly continues tracking of Yaw, Pitch and Roll angles
until the optical sensor is again working.
“By adding an inertial sensor with metal and temperature tolerance to our
proven laserBIRD tracker, we can now offer fail safe performance -- in even the
harshest simulator and tactical vehicle environments, “ says Ascension vice
president of marketing, Jack Scully. “Users no longer must cope with limited
range of motions. We'll keep tracking no matter what happens.”
Commenting on the incorporation of its inertial sensor in the new Hy-BIRD
tracker, MicroStrain's president, Steven Arms stated, “We're proud that our
3DM-GX1™ is selected by Ascension for its advanced hybrid tracker. Our
embedded software for temperature compensation, sensor alignment and MEMS sensor
fusion enables us to deliver high performance in a small package. It's exciting
for us to contribute to new product development with forward-thinking companies
like Ascension Technology.”
Hy-BIRD is compatible with all laserBIRD trackers now in the field and
includes Windows drivers for fast and easy integration with applications
software systems.
Press Release:
(December 22, 2004) Ascension Technology has developed a landmark
"noise-reduction" software program, Noise XT, to optimize data
output from our serial and ISA-based trackers -- Flock of Birds, miniBIRD, Nest
of Birds, pcBIRD, and MotionStar Wired. It accomplishes this in a new utility
program that automatically measures interfering frequencies present in a
tracker's magnetic field, and then determining the tracker's best operating
frequency to overcome jitter. As a result, Ascension trackers now work better in
noisy electromagnetic environments with a dramatic reduction in environmental
noise.
Prior to the new Noise X software development, any device located near a
tracker that generated signals in the frequency band of 0-3KHz -- power lines,
motors, pumps, elevators, and computers -- caused measurement jitter. Filtering
of data reduces jitter but exacts a dynamic performance penalty. Noise X makes
Ascension trackers not only the most metal tolerant, but now also the quietest
magnetic trackers in the world today.
According to Ascension president, Ernest Blood, "The position and
orientation outputs of both AC and DC trackers have a certain amount of jitter
in them. Until now, however, the only way to reduce this jitter was by
increasing the amount of filtering on the outputs. Increasing the filtering
always leads to increased lag in the measurement. As users will soon see, we've
now have a breakthrough improvement in DC magnetic tracking that decreases
jitter without increasing lag."
The Noise X software will be integrated in the production of all new
Ascension RS232 and ISA-based trackers.
Customers of existing trackers can download the software and directions for
its use from Ascension's website at: ftp://ftp.ascension-tech.com/PRODUCTS/NOISE_X.exe.
Please contact Ascension's Technical Support Staff if you have any questions
regarding this program: techsupport@ascension-tech.com
Gregory S. Erdmann Ascension Technology Corporation 107 Catamount Drive,
Milton, VT 05468 USA Tel: (802) 893-6657 Ext. 44 Fax: (802) 893-6659
web: http://www.ascension-tech.com
email: greg@ascension-tech.com
Product Video: http://www.ascension-tech.com
(lower left page)
Press Release:
laserBIRD to Control Helmet Display Images in Tiger Helicopter Simulator
BURLINGTON, VERMONT; OCTOBER 29, 2004: Rheinmetall Defence Electronics and
Thales Training & Simulation (TTS) have selected Ascension Technology's
laserBIRD(tm) precision optical motion tracker to provide pilot and gunner head
tracking in the TIGER helicopter full-mission simulator.
The flight-worthy TIGER helicopter uses a head tracker to control some of the
pilot's and gunner's optics and instruments. The TIGER simulator will provide
the same components as well as additional displays for generating a simulated
environment. According to Rheinmetall engineer Axel Rehder, the requirements for
the simulator head tracker are much higher than those of the original equipment.
Whereas the TIGER head tracker runs at 50Hz, the simulator tracker runs at 240Hz
to minimize the lag and provide head-roll compensation.
laserBIRD delivers highly-accurate position and orientation tracking without
environmental interference or distortion. Its miniaturized scanner continuously
scans the work space even as its sensors instantly sense time domain of the
laser beams. Signals are then directed back to the scanner's DSP electronics for
processing and real-time output of position and orientation data.
Rheinmetall selected laserBIRD over other trackers because of its stable data
and minimal noise. "IaserBIRD's high quality of data allows us to provide
excellent prediction and synchronisation," says Rehder. "Because
generated images are controlled by head tracker data, we use prediction to
compensate for the lag of the image generator. We also like laserBIRD because it
provides correct data throughout the motion box. Regardless of the environment,
no mapping is necessary. This saves a lot of time and money."
Rehder points out that the high quality of the data also means that when
helmet-mounted displays are being used, the system can achieve the best
congruence of generated images with the original cockpit elements. "Last
but not least", he notes "Rheinmetall chose laserBIRD because of the
effective teamwork we enjoy with Ascension."
TT&S holds the contract to supply training and simulation equipment for the
"TIGER Aircrew Training" program for the army aviation forces of
France and Germany. The program is managed by the Organisme Conjoint de
Cooperation on behalf of both governments.
Initial delivery from Rheinmetall and TTS will include one full-mission
simulator with dual dome and motion system, one cockpit procedure trainer with
two fixed base cockpits for pilot and gunner, and one computer assisted training
system with 12 trainee stations. Extensive courseware and support systems for
briefing, debriefing, scenario generation and training management will also be
provided.
Rheinmetall Defence Electronics (Bremen, Germany) develops and manufactures
advanced technical equipment, systems and components for army and air forces.
Its products range from reconnaissance and command/control systems to
simulators. For more information, visit www.rheinmetall-de.com.
Thales Training & Simulation (West Sussex, United Kingdom) is part of the
Aerospace business division of the Thales-Group, an established world leader in
advanced technology and electronic based systems for the aviation and defense
markets. For more information, visit www.thales-tts.com.
Ascension Technology Corporation (Vermont, USA) develops magnetic, optical and
inertial motion-tracking solutions for 3D computer-graphics applications in
military targeting systems, simulation, virtual reality, biomechanics, animation
and medicine. For more information, visit www.ascension-tech.com.
MEDIA CONTACT
NICHOLE CRAFT
ncraft@ascension-tech.com
802.893-6657 x. 49
PO BOX 527 BURLINGTON, VT USA 05402
WWW.ASCENSION-TECH.COM
802.893.6657
Press Release:
I/ITSEC: Loyola Enterprises Demonstrates Ultra-High Performance
Storage at Simulation Conference to Support Joint Forces Command Program
DataCore’s SANmelody I/O acceleration redefines the impact of
storage networks in modeling and simulation events
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. (December 7, 2004) —Today, Loyola Enterprises, Inc.,
will be demonstrating its geospatial processing system and DataCore Software
based SAN-Fire™ storage systems at the Interservice/Industry Training,
Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC).
Benito Loyola, president of Loyola Enterprises Inc. said, “Our success in
complex program wins and this demonstration are proof that Storage Area Network
(SAN) technology will be a major component of the Global Information Grid (GIG)
architecture. SAN- Fire™ systems are redefining the impact of ultra-high
performance storage networks in providing correlated and synchronized modeling
and simulation events, and very soon we will be testing advanced generation
systems to directly support Net-Centric Battlespace capabilities. SAN- Fire™
represents a major advance in speed and ease of use which translates directly
into better simulation systems. The combination of performance and the leverage
of cost-effective COTS (commercial-off-the-shelf) technology are unprecedented
in delivering value.”
The Joint Forces Command simulation program highlights SAN- Fire™ ’s
capabilities to provide a robust and highly available storage framework that
directly supports the highly diverse and complex data requirements of Modeling
and Simulation. Loyola, a key innovator and program integrator, will demonstrate
its ability to deliver an unparalleled level of performance for today’s
complex 3D visualizations, modeling and simulation exercises, which require
ingesting massive amounts of data from many different sources, processing,
analyzing, and then displaying the information and models for the use of the
Joint Forces Command.
SAN- Fire™ is a fully integrated, ultra-high speed, fault tolerant
geospatial processing system incorporating both servers and multi-terabytes of
storage capacity per unit. DataCore adds unique caching technology to SAN- Fire™,
and consistently outperforms competitor’s storage array offerings in benchmark
comparisons. Staggering performance acceleration means faster 3-D visualization
and database construction, wider support for more users, and world-class speed
even from economical Serial ATA (SATA) disk drives. SANmelody enables SAN- Fire™
to leverage COTS technology to attain the best price/performance attributes from
the latest server, storage and network components. The future-proof architecture
makes it easy to incorporate the latest technologies seamlessly, thus
continually improving cost-effectiveness and performance.
“In these complex visualization and simulation environments with such
importance to the nation, it is crucial that the foundation be the absolute
fastest and most reliable storage system available – and DataCore is proud to
be the ones providing the storage software platform,” said George Teixeira,
CEO and president, DataCore Software. “In addition to our performance
advantage, we have also managed to hide the complexities of complex storage
tasks. With SAN- Fire™ systems, our auto-provisioning storage capabilities
enable Visualizers and Pre-processors to focus on their work and achieve high
productivity without worrying about details such as having enough storage
capacity to handle it.”
DataCore's SANmelody based SAN- Fire™ systems protect the data and handle
the automated storage provisioning, disk performance acceleration, high
availability and remote data replication as the baseline for military and civil
simulations, 3D modeling, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and other
database processing.
Loyola Enterprises recently announced pricing for SAN- Fire™ 4 Terabytes
Managed Storage Systems starting at $28,057.00. To learn more see:
www.loyola.com/SANFire <http://www.loyola.com/SANFire>
December 1, 2004 - International
Flightsim Convention Monthly News
SDS International, Inc. Press
Release (PDF Format)
April 26, 2004 - SDS Enters into Cooperative Research And Development
Agreement With AFRL
SDS International, Inc. Press
Release (PDF Format)
April 27, 2004 - SDS Awarded Contract to Support the Space Access Vehicle
Mission Operations Simulation Project
NAVAIR Orlando TSD & PMTRASYS Advance Planning Briefing (APBI)
to Industry Wednesday, May 5, 2004 Radisson University Hotel 1724 Alafaya Trail
Orlando, FL 32826
NAVAIR Orlando Training Systems Division (TSD) and Program Manager Training
Systems, Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCOSYSCOM) will conduct an Advance
Planning Briefing to Industry (APBI) on 5 May 2004 at the Radisson University
Hotel Orlando.
The APBI will focus on future training system business opportunities as
identified by the NAVAIR Orlando TSD and PM TRASYS, MARCOSYSCOM. In addition, a
"How to Do Business with the Government" interactive session will be
offered.
Registration Fee: $25 through 28 April; $40 after 28 April or onsite. Online
registration will close 30 April.
A block of rooms has been reserved for the night of May 4th at the rate of $89.
The cut-off date for the room block is Friday, April 16th, so reserve your room
right away! Please mention the "APBI" room block when making your
reservation.
For event agenda, lodging, and registration details, please visit
http://www.trainingsystems.org/events.
If you have any questions about this event or any other NTSA product or service,
please contact me.
Best regards,
Patrick T. Rowe
Director, Membership Services
NTSA
(703)247-9471
fax: (703)243-1659
rowe@ndia.org
Polhemus Announces The Latest Addition in “The LIBERTY™ Series”
6 Degree-of-Freedom Tracking Products
COLCHESTER, VT (May 10, 2004) ---- Polhemus, the industry leader in 6
Degree-of-Freedom (6DOF) motion capture, tracking and digitizing technologies,
is proud to announce the LIBERTY 240/16, a 16 sensor capable motion tracking
system which is the latest 6DOF tracking product in the LIBERTY series. As in
other LIBERTY products, this new system represents a quantum leap in new
technology and state of the art Digital Signal Processor (DSP) electronics.
LIBERTY has speed (240 Hz per sensor), ease of use via an intuitive Graphical
User Interface (GUI), scalability and improved signal to noise ratios which
increase stability and resolution while providing consistent high quality data.
The combination of all these attributes clearly positions LIBERTY as the
forerunner in electromagnetic tracking technology offering significant
improvements over competitive systems.
A four sensor channel board is available on the base product and is easily
user upgradeable by adding additional four-sensor channel cards up to a total of
16 sensors. Any user who can install a sound card in a PC can perform the
upgrade to a LIBERTY 240/16 system, saving time and expense.
Price per sensor makes the LIBERTY series by far the most affordable, easiest
to upgrade, simplest to use, quietest and fastest 6DOF tracker on the market
today. And LIBERTY comes standard with both a serial I/O RS-232 and a high speed
USB interface, at no extra cost, to keep up with the voluminous rate of tracking
data produced.
“The new LIBERTY 240/16 highlights the commitment we have to our customer
base. We appreciate their business and confidence which has helped us maintain
the leadership role in driving the advancement of 6DOF tracking technology,”
Polhemus President and CEO Allan Rodgers said. “The latest LIBERTY series is
proof of that commitment.”
The LIBERTY Series comes standard with Windows 2000/XP GUI and a
comprehensive, easy to use Software Developers Kit (SDK). The GUI allows four
independent user definable profiles for setting system parameters such as
filtering, output formats, coordinate rotations and many more. This is a
valuable feature for multiple applications or users. For visualization, an
integrated motion box provides navigable points of view and can include text
data. Additional features include a data record/playback component, plus the
capability to quickly export data via Microsoft® “Named Pipe”.
Each LIBERTY sensor is able to independently detect distortion within the
environment, alerting the user to make appropriate changes if necessary.
Resolution is better than 0.001 inch and 0.01 degrees, absolute accuracy is
better than 0.03 inches RMS for the X, Y and Z position and 0.15 degrees RMS for
rotation. Latency is less than 4 milliseconds for all sensors simultaneously.
Range is in excess of five feet and can be substantially extended with the use
of optional sources.
The Polhemus LIBERTY series, in combination with our workhorse of the
industry, FASTRAK®, and our cost-effective PATRIOTTM system, provides the
customer with a full line of products to meet various tracking requirements and
budget constraints.
Polhemus provides the absolute best in time proven 3D position and
orientation tracking, digitizing, 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. Please contact sales@polhemus.com for additional
information.
For More Information About FlightSimulation.org Contact:
FlightSimulation.org
Tel: 512-873-8359 or 512-577-5197
FAX: 512-491-5226
Email: TonyN@flightsimulation.org
