ARL Motion Study Camera Mounts
In 2010, while working at the University of Central Florida Institute for Simulation and Training, I supported an Army Research Lab study that aimed at collecting data on subjects riding a vehicle simulator on top of a motion platform. The simulator or violently move and shake as part it simulated going over rough terrain. The subjects heads, hands, etc. needed to be tracked precisely in 3D space to ascertain their actions. To do this, many motion cameras needed to be firmly attached to the simulator’s cabin frame with enough overlap to have multiple cameras seeing every part of the desired tracking volume. The main problem was that the simulator frame had no mounting points, and since it was owned by a third party, no frame modifications were allowed. To solve this issue, I designed a pair of heavy duty custom clamps that would grasp the simulator frame members with enough force to support a reconfigurable set cameras and mounting plates rigidly enough to not lose calibration while sustaining the violent movements of the simulator’s motion platform. These custom clamp mounts also featured many sets of mounting holes which in combination with a set of mounting parts, gave extreme flexibility on camera placement. After the motion study was over, we re-used the camera mounts many times for other experiments; as you can see below, it was used in a desktop application, and on a second motion platform study where used the mounts to attach a touch screen monitor.
