Fast, cheap, and scalable magnetic tracker with an array of magnetoresistors

TL;DR

This paper introduces a low-cost, scalable magnetic tracking hardware using an array of magnetoresistive sensors to measure magnetic fields for position and orientation reconstruction.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel, affordable multi-sensor magnetometric setup capable of mapping magnetic fields for tracking applications.

Findings

Effective magnetic field mapping demonstrated

Potential for accurate position and orientation reconstruction

Low-cost and scalable hardware design

Abstract

We present the hardware of a cheap multi-sensor magnetometric setup where a relatively large set of magnetic field components is measured in several positions by calibrated magnetoresistive detectors. The setup is developed with the scope of mapping the (inhomogeneous) field generated by a known magnetic source, which is measured as superimposed to the (homogeneous) geomagnetic field. The final goal is to use the data produced by this hardware to reconstruct position and orientation of the magnetic source with respect to the sensor frame, simultaneously with the orientation of the frame with respect to the environmental field. Possible applications of the setup are shortly discussed, together with a synthetic description of the data elaboration and analysis.