Noitom, the Beijing-based company building affordable motion capture systems, announced the release of Perception Neuron 2.0, a hardware refresh of the company’s original tracker which resulted from their 2014 Kickstarter campaign. The company also announced a new product ecosystem which will allow both 1.0 and 2.0 owners to use the tiny 1.2 gram snap-in sensors with specialized straps and a full body mocap, zip-up suit.
The 2.0 sensor isn’t exactly a complete overhaul of the IMU-based mocap system, rather a hardware refresh that the company says was designed to “reduce jitter, produce cleaner mocap, and provide the ability to record for longer periods of time with more dependable data.” Noitom says Perception Neuron 2.0 includes anti-slip straps, and reinforced pogo pin cables and dongles. The unit housing the Neuron sensor itself has also been “fortified” to make attaching and removing the sensors easier.
Perception Neuron 2.0 32-sensor kit is priced at $1,500 USD, the same as its predecessor which is now sold out worldwide.
With the launch of the product ecosystem, dubbed the ‘Neuron Mocap Ecosystem’, users of both 1.0 and 2.0 sensors will be able to buy individual parts so they can upgrade their suit to a newer, and “more vigorous solution,” Noitom says.
“We want Perception Neuron 2.0 to be as flexible, wearer-friendly and robust as possible,” says Tristan Dai, CTO of Noitom and developer of Hi5 VR glove. “Users will love that our new system is much more durable and the sensors will remain much more steady and secure. Overall, we’re giving them a much more solid mocap solution.”
Noitom’s penultimate product tease was back at CES 2017 with their Hi5 VR glove, which combines the IMU-based mocap sensors with a Vive Tracker for absolute positional tracking. Road to VR Executive Editor Ben Lang says the two “form[ed] a surprisingly compelling input experience that adds finger-level fidelity to Vive experiences.”
To check out technical specs and accessories, head to the Perception Neuron 2.0 order page for more info.