Introduction
Ultrasonic wand
The Oblong ultrasonic wand is a new type of input device uniquely suited to support multi-
user, multi-screen, interaction.
The ultrasonic wand is a hybrid ultrasonic and inertial tracking device. It must be used in
an environment with fixed ultrasonic emitters; these emitters produce distinct pulses that
are detected by four ultrasonic sensors on the body of the wand. The wand also contains
an “inertial measurement unit” that provides information on the wand’s orientation and
motion, and a button press detection circuit. The wand continually sends these data to
Mezzanine using radio frequency (RF) signals. Mezzanine then computes the wand’s
position and orientation in the room and animates interface elements in response.
The wand can be used either as a traditional pointing device, or as a gestural input device,
allowing fluid and complex maneuvers to be executed simply. Both the pointing and
gestural inputs are enhanced and modified by a single button on the wand to control all
application functionality. There are three buttons on the wand, one on each of the three
sides of the device, but they are functionally equivalent.
Mezzanine
Oblong’s Mezzanine product is a multi-user, multi-screen, multi-device collaborative
environment. The ultrasonic wand is the main control device for Mezzanine. Mezzanine
software operation and features are not covered by this document.
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Summary of Contents for ULTRASONIC WAND
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