Trailblazer Shape Sensing Development Platform
An entry-level shape sensing development platform that reconstructs and displays the entire shape of a thin, flexible optical fiber. It ships as a self-contained unit with a 3D shape sensor and visualization software.
Technical overview
Trailblazer discretizes the fiber into thousands of 150 um long segments and extracts strain, twist and bending direction at each location, from which it computes 3D coordinates relative to the fiber origin. TSSC describes the underlying patented technology as originating at NASA and based on continuously inscribed Fiber Bragg Gratings. It is a desktop unit that connects to any TSSC shape sensor, refreshes at a minimum of 60 fps with a maximum of 30 ms hardware latency, and supports tortuous paths, twist and 6 degrees of freedom over more than 50 cm of sensing length.
Features
- Monitors a single 3D shape sensor
- Minimum 60 frames per second refresh rate
- Maximum 30ms hardware latency
- Desktop unit can be used in laboratory environment
- Connects to any TSSC shape sensor
- Displays shape in real time on a screen or streams via Ethernet
- Shape measurements are automatically compensated for changes in temperature
- Supports tortuous paths, 6 degrees of freedom, twist and more than 50cm sensing length
- Delivered as a self-contained unit with a 3D shape sensor and visualization software
- Measures 3D shape, twist, bending direction and bending radius, strain, temperature, force (haptic feedback) and pressure
Specifications
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Refresh rate | 60 frames per second (minimum) |
| Hardware latency | 30 ms (maximum) |
| Sensing length | >50 cm |
| Degrees of freedom | 6 DOF |
| Fiber segment (discretization) length | 150 um |
| Shape sensors supported per unit | 1 3D shape sensor |
| Temperature compensation | Automatic |
| Output / interface | Real-time on-screen display or Ethernet streaming |
| Sensor compatibility | Connects to any TSSC shape sensor |
| Sensing technology | Continuously inscribed Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBG) |
| Measurands | 3D shape; twist; bending direction and bending radius; strain; temperature; force (haptic feedback); pressure |
| Sensing fiber cladding diameter | — |
| Optical wavelength range | — |
| Shape / positional accuracy | — |
| Physical dimensions / weight / power | — |
Applications
- Shape sensing evaluation and development in a laboratory environment
- Generic shape sensing instrumentation
- Strain, twist and bending measurement along an optical fiber
- Medical device development
- Aerospace, civil engineering, mining and energy research
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