Is it possible to track active LED markers with OptiTrack cameras?

Ultra Wide Angle 850nm LEDs

When properly configured, active LED markers can be tracked by OptiTrack cameras with excellent results. To ensure an optimal performance, please consider following:

• We recommend using OptiTrack’s Ultra Wide Angle 850nm LEDs for active LED tracking applications. If third-party LEDs are used, their illumination wavelength should be at 850nm for best results.
  
  

  • What happens if LED emits light outside of the 850 nm wavelength?
    

    If your application requires tracking LEDs outside of the 850nm wavelength, the OptiTrack camera should not be equipped with the 850nm band-pass filter, as it will cut off any illumination above or below the 850nm wavelength. An alternative solution is to use the 700nm short-pass filter (for passing illumination in the visible spectrum) and the 800nm long-pass filter (for passing illumination in the IR spectrum). If the camera is not equipped with the filter, the Filter Switcher add-on is available for purchase at our webstore.
    

     

• Place a spherical diffuser around each LED marker in order to increase the illumination angle. This will improve the tracking since bare LED bulbs have limited illumination angles due to their narrow beamwidth. Even with wide angle LEDs, the lighting coverage of bare LED bulbs will be insufficient for the cameras to track the markers at an angle.
  
  

• If an LED-based marker system will be strobed (to increase range, offset groups of LEDs, etc.), it is important to synchronize their strobes with the camera system. If you require an LED synchronization solution, please contact one of our Sales Engineers to learn more about OptiTrack’s RF-based LED synchronizer.
  
  

• Many applications that require active LEDs for tracking (e.g. very large setups with long distances from camera to marker) will also require active LEDs during calibration to ensure sufficient overlap in camera samples during the wanding process. We recommend using OptiTrack’s Wireless Active LED Calibration Wand for best results in these types of applications. Please contact one of our Sales Engineers to order this calibration accessory.