Research and Development in Measurement and Testing Technology

Motion Tracking with Inertial Sensors

A multitude of different applications depend on tracking objects’ motion in space. Since they are small and lightweight and do not require additional infrastructure, inertial measurement systems are ideal for tracking objects’ motions. Inertial measurement systems employ separate sensors to track motion, which detect translation and rotation components. Accelerometers record linear motion components, angular rate sensors (gyroscopes) rotation components. One pair of sensors that detect motion components is needed for each direction in space (XYZ) to detect position and orientation three-dimensionally.

Inertial measurement systems consisting of microelectromechanical sensors (MEMS) are very small, lightweight and cost effective motion tracking modules. A multitude of potential fields of use and application present themselves.

Features of Inertial Sensors

• Inertial sensors scan motion without additional infrastructure.
• Inertial sensors detect motion, including position and orientation, in space (6 DoF).
• They can be attached to moving objects as small and lightweight sensor modules
• They can be integrated in many applications.

Our Range of Services

In projects, we develop and implement custom systems solutions based on motion tracking by inertial sensors.
Custom sensor systems with integrated electronics that record and process data and methods and systems for measured data capture and calibration are integral parts of our systems solutions. We develop and implement custom methods for the evaluation of measured data, including:

• Motion trajectory reconstruction from sensor data
• Spatiotemporal analysis of motion trajectories
• Model-aided methods of data enhancement
• Correlation analysis to identify motion patterns in trajectories
• Sensor data fusion to improve motion estimation (Kalman filters)

We can also include the integration of motion tracking and the implementation of higher-level applications in any project.