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Numerous applications of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) continue to emerge. However, many of the current mechanisms to provide input in those environments still require the user to perform actions (e.g., press a number of buttons, tilt a stick) that are not natural or intuitive. It would be desirable to enable users of 3D virtual environments to use natural hand gestures to interact with the environments. The implementation of a glove capable of tracking the movement and configuration of a user’s hand has been pursued by multiple groups in the past. One of the most recent approaches consists of tracking the motion of the hand and fingers using miniature sensor modules with magnetic and inertial sensors. Unfortunately, the limited quality of the signals from those sensors and the frequent deviation from the assumptions made in the design of their operations have prevented the implementation of a tracking glove able to achieve high performance and large-scale acceptance. This paper describes our development of a proof-of-concept glove that incorporates motion sensors and a signal processing algorithm designed to maintain high tracking performance even in locations that are challenging to these sensors, (e.g., where the geomagnetic field is distorted by nearby ferromagnetic objects). We describe the integration of the required components, the rationale and outline of the tracking algorithms and the virtual reality environment in which the tracking results drive the movements of the model of a hand. We also describe the protocol that will be used to evaluate the performance of the glove.
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This content will become publicly available on August 28, 2025
Detection and Tracking of Underwater Pipes using a Magnetic Camera
We present a magnetic camera system developed to detect ferrous or ferromagnetic objects. The main motivation is detection and tracking of underwater pipelines. Many industries, such as oil and gas, must perform inspection and maintenance of pipelines and automation is desirable. An electromagnet generates a static magnetic field which is read by an array of Hall-effect sensors. The presence of ferromagnetic materials distorts this field, which can be detected by the sensors and creates a magnetic image. The grid configuration of the camera allows for quick computation of the center of mass and general orientation of detected pipes, facilitating tracking. This camera is carried by an ROV and tested in a pool environment.
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- PAR ID:
- 10552106
- Publisher / Repository:
- IEEE
- Date Published:
- ISBN:
- 979-8-3503-5851-3
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 755 to 760
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Location:
- Bari, Italy
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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