TAU did not simply combine a magnetometer, an inertial sensor and a coil. The team developed a method in which a controlled magnetic field becomes a spatial reference and proprietary mathematics recovers sensor position and orientation. The invention is protected by patents in Russia, the United States, China and Singapore.
What TAU developed in-house
The system starts with a physical field model. A flat source generates a controlled magnetic field; a measurement module reads it together with acceleration and angular velocity; and the hub synchronises the measurements and solves the inverse problem — where the sensor is and how it is oriented.
The value is not a bill of materials. It lies in the coordinated operation of field-source geometry, measurement electronics, timing, calibration, data-fusion algorithms, embedded software and the application interface. Together they form TAU’s proprietary hardware-and-software platform.
Spatial reference
A controlled field establishes a known structure in the workspace.
TAU modules
Sensors measure the field and fast motion changes.
Hub and mathematics
Proprietary software calculates position and orientation.
Motion stream
Data goes to a simulator, XR product, digital twin or robot.
Why camera-free operation is only part of the value
Cameras lose objects when occluded. Pure inertial systems accumulate position error. Magnetic tracking provides an absolute spatial reference without line of sight, but is sensitive to metal and the electromagnetic environment.
TAU does not claim one physical principle is ideal in every room. A project defines the workspace, nearby equipment and target metrics, then validates them in a pilot. That is how tracking becomes an engineering tool rather than a marketing promise.
Hybrid tracking: when TAU complements another system
TAU does not have to replace every other tracking method. It can supply the missing data layer. In an industrial simulator, an external system may track the headset or hand location in the room, while TAU gloves capture natural hand and finger motion.
This architecture is documented for the fire-safety simulator: HTC Vive base stations and trackers determine the position of the headset and gloves in the workspace, while TAU modules and finger sensors deliver hand motion. The user can switch between TAU gloves and HTC Vive controllers.
TAU Tracker + HTC Vive / Focus 3
Practice evacuation, PPE selection and suppression of different fire types. Natural hand actions become part of training and assessment.
TAU Tracker + external VR tracking
The simulator combines user positioning in virtual space with natural TAU-glove interaction when operating equipment.
Intellectual property is the product foundation
The core invention protects a device for determining the position of an object in space. The portfolio includes invention patents in Russia, the United States, China and Singapore, PCT application RU2017/050052 and TAU TRACKER trademark No. 778530.
The next generation extends the proprietary core
TG13 and the multi-coil concept extend the same technology foundation with a modular hub, multiple field-source channels and an expandable workspace. Public communications can explain direction and value without disclosing schematics, component parameters or algorithmic details.
New performance figures remain R&D targets until comparative tests confirm them. This keeps the proven platform separate from the next-generation product programme.
What we need for a pilot
- Workspace size and geometry
- Tracked elements: fingers, hands, body or tools
- Metal, electrical equipment and interference sources
- Target platform, engine and data format
- Metrics: accuracy, latency, robustness and recovery
Describe the motion you need to turn into data
We will propose a TAU-only configuration or a hybrid architecture when it produces a better result for your simulator, XR product or robotic system.