Precision 6 DOF Pose Tracker for Application to Welding Simulation

这个提议背后的关键思想是发展一种先进的传感器技术，这将允许

The key idea behind this proposal is the development of an advanced sensor technology that will permit the precise tracking of a human performing a task that requires a very high degree of manual dexterity, such as welding. 123 Certification Inc. has developed a novel low-cost simulator that has had a dramatic impact in reducing the cost and time required to train a professional welder. It relies to a large degree on sensors capable of tracking the fine hand motion, and is currently limited in its range of applicability by the limitations of the current generation of 6 degree-of-freedom pose trackers. However, the market for this technology is limited by the resolution and accuracy of the current sensor technology. A more precise technology would enable the company to cover a broader range of training and certification applications, even beyond the welding domain to general tasks that rely on precise measurement of human dexterity. Specifically we propose to develop a new technology for magnetic pose tracking that gets around problems arising from poor fidelity in tracking orientation in 3D. Most of these technologies are sufficient for tracking 3D position, but the measure of manual dexterity requires accurate tracking of both position and orientation. In a previous study we identified limitations in the design of current generation magnetic pose trackers and proposed two enhancements that we believe have the potential to significantly enhance both resolution and accuracy. The first involves a complete re-design of the field generator by leveraging advances in CAD modeling and simulation tools afforded by work done at McGill. The second incorporates a novel method of measurement that uses two pickup coils (differential mode) to partially eliminate errors the estimate of 3D orientation. The goal of this research is to produce a laboratory prototype based on these ideas that 123 Certification will validate in a production environment.