Archive notice: This article was originally published on August 5, 2003. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
The base unit is connected either via a serial interface (RS 232) or USB a GUI for Windows 2000/XP and an SDK makes integration into custom applications possible. Output is in carthesian coordinates, either metric or English, as well as orientation in cosine values for direction, or in Euler coordinates or as quaternions. With this temporal resolution, the system is also suitable for biomechanical and sports analyses. The resolution is better than 0.001 Inches and 0.01 degrees, the absolute accuracy is better than 0.03 Inches RMS for X,Y,Z positions and 0.15 degrees RMS for the rotation. The measurement range is 5 feet, but it can be extended with an additional transmitter.
Also shown at the trade fair was the Fastscan Cobra product, which has already been on the market for a few months. This is a tracker-scanner combination with which 3D models can be digitized quite quickly. The objects are scanned with a laser scanner that can be moved freely in order to capture the object completely. The combination with a tracker enables the computer to determine the position of the handheld scanner. The system also allows, for example, a face to be digitized; the person must of course sit still during the scanning process. But because the scanning can be done quite quickly, it worked very well during the demonstrations. Objects can also be given an additional tracker so that they can then also be moved. Especially with complicated shapes, this makes it easier to capture undercuts. Accuracy is typically about one mm over a 200 mm total range.
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