Our theater’s stage measures 50 feet wide by 50 feet high by 24 feet tall. I need to know the position of each actor, every second or so. Can this be done? Can I track their locations to within one foot?
—Name withheld
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Last year, we wrote about a company called Xsens Technologies (a Netherlands-based firm that designs three-dimensional tracking applications), that is using UWB to enhance 3D motion capture for use in video games (see RFID Advances Video Game Development).
Xsens has incorporated ultra-wideband (UWB) real-time location technology to advance its full-body cameraless motion-capture system. The new tracking application, dubbed MVN, makes it easier for companies such as Electronic Arts, Industrial Light and Magic, Sony Pictures Imageworks, THQ and other video-game and entertainment-industry firms to digitally reproduce the realistic movements of actors.
I’m not sure if the Xsens technology could be used for tracking actors on stage. But if not, you could try contacting Ubisense or Zebra Enterprise Solutions, both of which offer UWB hardware and software, to find out if either company could fulfill your needs.
—Mark Roberti, Founder and Editor, RFID Journal