Rokoko unveils Coil Pro
Mocap hardware firm Rokoko has announced the Coil Pro, a nifty electromagnetic field generator that will become the first product from the firm’s new Volta Tracking Technology platform on its release later this year.
It will provide absolute positioning data for Rokoko’s Smartsuit Pro II and Smartgloves inertial capture systems, reducing drift and improving the accuracy of multi-character interactions.
Rokoko has also cut the price of the Smartsuit Pro II by $1,000.
Combining EMF and IMU motion-capture technologies to reduce drift
Inertial measurement unit-based (IMU) capture systems provide a relatively inexpensive, non-restrictive way to record full-body motion for games, animation and visual effects projects.
Unlike optical capture systems, inertial systems don’t suffer from occlusion, in which a foreground actor or object prevents accurate recording of a background actor.
However, because they don’t record absolute position, the motion recorded often ‘drifts’ in space over time, even when an actor was moving on the spot.
The Coil Pro aims to fix – or at least reduce – the issue, by making it possible to combine measurements based on an electromagnetic field (EMF) with IMUs.
The device generates an electromagnetic field that receivers in Rokoko’s capture suits can detect, enabling its technology to reconstruct an actor’s position in space.
The field has a usable radius of around 5 metres, but if an actor moves outside it, the existing IMUs in the suit take over, and resync when the actor re-enters the capture volume.
Although electromagnetic systems historically aren’t as accurate as optical systems, they’re inexpensive and quick to set up.
According to Rokoko’s blog post, the Coil Pro can be used pretty much anywhere its suits can, “mounted on all standard tripods, hung from the ceiling, or just placed on [a] desk”.
Works with Rokoko’s existing Smartgloves
Rokoko’s Smartgloves already include EMF receivers, so the Coil Pro should work with them automatically.
However, the Smartsuit Pro II doesn’t have EMF receivers, so Rokoko tells us that to use the suit with the Coil Pro, you will also need Smartgloves.
Rokoko has also cut the price of the Smartsuit Pro II substantially, from $2,995 to $1,995.
Price and release date
The Coil Pro will be available for pre-order in August 2023, and is expected to cost $1,995. The first units are expected to ship in November.
Anyone ordering Rokoko’s full performance capture bundle will get a 20% discount on the Coil Pro when pre-orders begin.