Motion Capture (MoCap)

Motion Capture (MoCap) is a computer vision technique for estimating the 3D pose (position and orientation) of a vehicle using a positioning mechanism that is external to the vehicle. It is commonly used to navigate a vehicle in situations where GPS is absent (e.g. indoors), and provides position relative to a local co-ordinate system.

MoCap systems most commonly detect motion using infrared cameras, but other types of cameras, Lidar, or Ultra Wideband (UWB) may also be used.

Note MoCap is conceptually similar to Visual Intertial Odometry (VIO). The main difference is that in VIO the vision system runs on the vehicle, and additionally makes use of the vehicle IMU to provide velocity information.

MoCap Resources

For information about MoCap see:

• Using Vision or Motion Capture Systems for Position Estimation (PX4 Developer Guide)
• Flying with Motion Capture (VICON, Optitrack) (PX4 Developer Guide)
• EKF > External Vision System