FluxPose generates its own magnetic fields around the beacon, creating a "wearable" tracking sphere with a radius of 1.7m that can support an unlimited number of trackers. The system takes the occlusion-free EMF readings and filters it out with ultra-low-latency accelerometer and gyroscope data, combining the advantages of both worlds for a great tracking experience.
Background static fields, like the ones from magnets or the Earth, are automatically ignored.
FluxPose also introduces several new breakthroughs in magnetic tracking, delivering equal or better performance than other EMF solutions while consuming far less power. For context, the Pico Neo 2’s EMF tracked controllers used a battery 3x larger than FluxPose's beacon, yet managed only 1/5th the runtime.
The technology
EMF tracking
Every FluxPose tracker undergoes a rigorous, multi-step calibration process to guarantee great accuracy under real-world conditions.
Each accelerometer and gyroscope is profiled for bias, scale factors, and cross-axis alignment while being cycled through the full operating temperature window (15º-50º). The resulting correction is stored on-board and applied in real time. As a result, you can expect a total zero offset of <1mg and <0.01º/s in the accelerometer and gyroscope, respectively. Gyro sensitivity is also calibrated within 0.015% of its real value. Some of these values are further calibrated dynamically during runtime.
The EMF data is calibrated inside a spherical test volume that covers a comprehensive set the positions and orientations the system will see during runtime. A dense set of poses is sampled to produce compensation matrices that drive both positional and rotational error to negligible levels. (See the System Datasheet in the Downloads page for more figures)
The calibration
The secret sauce
FluxPose uses a fully custom protocol built on top of Nordic's 2.4GHz proprietary radio. It is designed from the ground up to be as low-latency and high-bandwidth as possible while requiring the least amount of RF space (channels) and therefore, dongles. By tightly packing data frames and optimizing airtime scheduling, the link achieves both high-frequency and low-latency updates while occupying only a fraction of the spectrum.
It works so well that in a typical scenario, a single RF channel (one dongle or docking station) can handle up to 8-10 devices streaming at 150 Hz each without introducing perceptible delay. This efficiency is key to having great performance in environments with high radio congestion. You can always use more dongles/docks at the same time, and the system will split the traffic among them.
The comms
Optimized RF
If you love DIY stuff or are just curious about how things work (like we are), FluxPose is designed to be easy to tinker with.
All FluxPose devices have open bootloaders; if you bought the hardware, it is yours to do whatever you want (under your own responsibility).
Do you want to integrate FluxPose into something else? Then check the downloads page for integration manuals, drawings, and 3D models.
You got a new headset or broke one of your straps? You can choose to just 3D print them yourself instead of relying on us.
Open ecosystem
Be nice
FluxPose creates magnetic fields around the beacon that are used to position the trackers with no occlusion. Static fields from magnets or the Earth are automatically ignored and have no effect. By combining them with very accurate IMU data, the system knows where a tracker is located.
FluxPose uses several unique approaches to magnetic tracking that have never been seen before. We get the same or better tracking quality than other EFM solutions while using way less power.
For example, the Pico Neo 2, which also used an EMF tracking system, had a battery 3x larger than our beacon and lasted 5x less!
Each FluxPose tracker goes through a long calibration process, to ensure the best performance.
Each IMU is calibrated for bias and sensitivity across the 15ºC - 50ºC temperature range, among other things.
The EMF data gets calibrated so to minimize the error in all possible positions and rotations in a 1m radius sphere.
FluxPose uses a fully custom protocol built on top of Nordic's 2.4GHz proprietary radio. It is designed from the ground up to be as low-latency and high bandwidth as possible while requiring the least amount of RF space (channels) and therefore, dongles.
It works so well, that in most cases, only 1 RF channel (dongle/dock) should be enough for 8-10 devices running at 150Hz with no significant latency hit!
If you love DIY stuff or are just curious about how stuff works (like we are), FluxPose is designed to be easy to tinker with.
All FluxPose devices have open bootloaders, if you bought the hardware, it is yours to do whatever you want (under your own responsibility ofc).
Do you want to integrate FluxPose into something else? Then check the downloads page for integration manuals, drawing and 3D models.
You got a new headset or broke one of your straps? You can choose to just 3D print them yourself instead of relying on us.
FluxPose under the hood
There are so many things that make FluxPose tick, and so little that we can fit here.
If you are still curious after reading this, head over to the FAQ and Downloads page to learn more :)