NCTech Launches The iSTAR Pulsar Virtual Data Capture System

Data is big business. If you’re not sure how big, just aswk yourself how many emails you’ve had relating to GDPR in the run-up to that regulation coming in. Understanding how to utilise virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) is also big business, but in another way. Since there is still much to explore and understand. 

iSTAR Pulsar - logoBritish company NCTech, based in Edinburgh, are taking these ideas and expanding upon then, looking to aid in the creation and access of virtual worlds and by providing 360 degree reality imaging systems to streamline workflow of image documentation that can even be used in a remote setting. Their latest effort in this area has been the introduction of a brand new virtual data capture system designed for capture on the move. It’s called the iSTAR Pulsar, and it’s out now.

“iSTAR Pulsar is designed to capture 360 degree data while mounted on a vehicle, drone or on foot. The system is designed for ease of use and does not require any photography experience or even a computer to operate. The iSTAR Pulsar app provides the ability to plan routes, as well as to view and share content online.” The company say in a press release. “iSTAR Pulsar is designed specifically for the task of capturing moving 360 degree data and was developed in association with Sony and Intel. The system can be used in a range of industrial and smart city applications.”

Product details are listed as follows:

  • Unparalleled 11K spherical resolution defines iSTAR Pulsar at almost twice the pixel resolution of standard 8K spherical systems, delivering a 60.5 megapixel panoramic image.
  • Pre-calibration to sub-pixel level combines with an advanced depth analysis algorithm ensures the most accurate panoramic stitch possible in a mobile platform.
  • Optimised for mobile platforms, iSTAR Pulsar adjusts capture rate during processing to provide a consistent distance interval spacing, minimising data storage and processing requirements.  Weighted metering analysis ensures zones of high interest are perfectly exposed.
  • Fully automatic post-processing pipeline includes an optional automatic horizon stabilization feature to rectify any pitch and roll induced when capturing on foot.
  • Rugged design, weather resilient and shockproof, with built-in high accuracy GPS and IMU sensors to ensure effortless direct integration to GIS systems.
  • Advanced symmetric and asymmetric encryption technologies ensure end-to-end data security from capture to delivery.

NCTech showcased the iSTAR Pulsar earlier this week at the Geo Business Show in London and will also be demonstrating their product at the upcoming SPAR 3D Expo, taking place at the Anaheim Convention Centre in California early next month.

“With just a tap, iSTAR Pulsar provides fully automated 360° panoramic image capture. It’s not a camera in a traditional sense – it is capturing huge amounts of high resolution data that is connected to our vast cloud processing pipeline, offering a fully automatic workflow from capture to delivery.” Commented Neil Tocher, the Co-Founder and Chief Technical Officer of NCTech.

VRFocus will bring you more news on developments in the capture and use of information 360 degree very soon.

Google Street View Testing New 360-Degree Camera

Google Streetview is an invaluable tool for many people, and Google are always wanting to improve the product relied upon by so many people. As such, Google are set to trial a new 360-degree imaging camera to capture updated footage for Street View.

The camera is produced by NCTech and is designed to be mounted on any kind of vehicle for a 360 x 300 field of view, capturing data at five frames per second to be sent to the Street View platform. The camera is due to be trailed by Google in three countries. Early details of the camera were revealed at the Google Street View Summit in Tokyo, and manufacturers NCTech believe a commercial version of the camera will be available by Q4 of 2017.

“We are keen to explore technologies that can help increase the volume and frequency of data uploaded to Street View,” said Charles Armstrong, Street View Product Manager at Google. “NCTech is a truly pioneering company – they continue to set the bar in spatial reconstruction by blending futuristic tech with accessible design and price points, and we look forward to seeing the results of our pilot with their new camera.”

“We’re delighted that Google will pilot our new camera in support of its Street View offering,” said Camerson Ure, CEO, NCTech. “With this new camera, we aim to enable a further wave of expansion in digitising the planet with the goal of increasing the 10 million miles per year currently available online, to one billion miles per year.”

Another NCTech product announced at the Summit was a Street View compatible virtual reality (VR) camera. The VRC camera was designed for the consumer market for capturing interior places in 360-degrees to let users explore VR at low cost.

“The VRC is the first affordable consumer Virtual Reality Camera. It will help democratise virtual reality by making the capture of user generated 3D VR content easy and abundant,” said Neil Tocher, NCTech’s CTO, “The VRC’s Street View API compatibility now enables anyone to be able to share their virtualized places on Street View.”

VRFocus will bring you further news on new VR/360-degree products as it becomes available.

New 3D VR Camera Unveiled by NCTech

NCTech will be unveiling a new 3D virtual reality (VR) camera at the SPAR 3D Conference this week. The new camera will use LiDAR scanning to bring 3D image capture into the hands of consumers.

The new product is called the LASiris VR and it comes with 120 Megapixel HDR imagery and a 100-meter range LiDAR scanner for full 3D image capture. The LiDAR scanning is designed to work in industries were laser scanning is already in regular use, such as surveying, engineering and construction. The company hopes that adding 3D visualisation capacity will improve safety and offer new avenues of development for those industries.

The camera can be controlled by a smartphone app, and the company have introduced a new cloud-based platform for backing up and sharing data captured from the camera. The new platform uses Google’s Compute Engine for high processing power and stability.

“The democratization of virtual reality comes from being able to visualize and dimension your own real-world space – we have created the LASiris VR to provide a long-range, high-quality solution, to capture real-world spaces for 3D visualization,” said Neil Tocher CTO, NCTech. “With this new camera we are offering 3D capture capability with high visual quality, and suitable for providing a good understanding of scale and dimension.”

NCTech say the new camera is suitable for a variety of industry applications, including Facilities management for gathering full 3D maps of a site, Stockpile management for quickly collecting data necessary for calculating volume and Security, where gathering data from an accident or crime scene quickly is vital.

VRFocus will bring you further news about the LASiris VR and related products.

The VR Job Hub: Magnopus, NSC Creative, NCTech & EON Reality

Whether you’re an experienced designer, programmer, engineer, or maybe you’ve just been inspired after reading VRFocus articles, the jobs listed here are located worldwide, from major game players to humble indie developers – the one thing they all have in common is that they are all jobs in VR.

View the new listings below for more information:

Location Company Role Link
Los Angeles, CA Magnopus Unreal Engine Programmer Click Here to Apply
Los Angeles, CA Magnopus Senior Unity Programmer Click Here to Apply
Los Angeles, CA Magnopus Senior Gameplay Programmer Click Here to Apply
Los Angeles, CA Magnopus Realtime Rendering Engineer Click Here to Apply
Leicester, UK NSC Creative Junior VR Developer Click Here to Apply
Leicester, UK NSC Creative 3D Animator Click Here to Apply
Edinburgh, Scotland NCTech VR Software Engineer Click Here to Apply
Manchester , UK EON Reality Business Development Manager Click Here to Apply

Look back at last week’s post for ongoing listings. If you’re an employer and are looking for someone to fill a VR or AR related gap on your workforce and would like your role to feature on next week’s VR Job Hub please send details of the role to either pgraham@vrfocus.com or keva@vrfocus.com

Check back with VRFocus at the new time of 3pm GMT every Sunday for the latest positions in this ever growing industry.