S.L.A.M Technology and Position Tracking
What is S.L.A.M?
S.L.A.M stands for Simultaneous Localization and Mapping. This means that when S.L.A.M is being used, it will find the locations of an object and its surroundings at the same time so that it can easily be mapped using technology. This is an important technology, especially in AR and VR that we have been working with in Emergent Design. When learning about this technology, I understand the general idea of what it is doing, but what I found that I needed to research is how it does it, which I did using the articles below. What I have found in these readings is that it uses a range of algorithms simultaneously so that it can detect the object and the space at the same time. It also uses the device’s sensors, coordinate systems, model transformation, view transformation, projective transformation, and frames of reference to collect spatial data.
chapter 3 on Tracking from AR: Principles and Practice
S.L.A.M Applications
This upcoming technology has a lot of potential with different applications in the real world. One example is VR and AR which we have been experiencing using Spark AR, but another one is self driving or self parking cars. Simultaneous localization and mapping is used for this so that the cars sensors and computer are able to understand itself and the space around it to accomplish these tasks without a human driver. In my opinion, the technology has a long way to go before I would trust my car to drive itself, but we know that technology can outsmart humans and work more consistently and automatically than humans, which we have already seen in the self-driving Teslas and explored in an article about autopilot mode through the Tesla website.
Position Tracking and its Applications
Position tracking is in the same realm as S.L.A.M, where it uses a device to determine its position, and then finds its surroundings relative to the object. Position tracking uses both hardware and software to do this. We have experienced playing with position tracking in Spark AR, so it is interesting to learn more about how it is done and what makes it happen. When using Spark AR, we often use position trackers so that our designs fit into the real world, or the virtual reality world that the objects will be displayed on. Position tracking has a lot to do with making the technology look as realistic as it does, so it is extremely important. There are many different kinds of position tracking including acoustic tracking, wireless tracking, inertial tracking, magnetic tracking, and optical tracking. All of these tracking technologies track position and can be beneficial in the virtual world, which we read in this article on position tracking.
Conclusion
Overall, S.L.A.M and position tracking is a technology that is fairly new to me, but the more I learn and the more I analyze different technologies, the more I realize how widely used it is across the world these days. I also recognize how important it is for a vast array of emergent technologies because of the fact that it allows everything to be much more realistic and to be applied to the real world. Overall, these technologies are important and applied all over, and I am excited to see where it takes us in the future.
