Head Tracking: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Head tracking is primarily linked to the motion of the head and employed to locate and update the coordinates of the head positions. Locating a point in 3-D requires both position and orientation coordinates i.e. complete set of Six-degrees-of-freedom (6-DOF) for linear and angular motion of head respectively along x, y and z axes. Parameters like size, weight, slew rate, Field of Regard (FOR), etc. are the key consideration for head tracking. Many head tracking technologies includes optical, magnetic, inertial, acoustic and mechanical tracking. Latency, accuracy and resolution are important characteristics of head trackers. It plays vital role in the operation and function of Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) worn by the user of the flight, which is one of the major application. During the procedure of acquisition of coordinates by the trackers, the data may get missed due to various reasons like magnetic field interference, sensor malfunctioning, stray light interference or any other kind of occlusion. This paper gives a thorough and extensive exploration of head tracking.