Northern Digital
Northern Digital Incorporated (NDI) is a Canadian medical measurement company based in Waterloo, Ontario. The company was founded by Jerry Krist in 1981 at the University of Waterloo.[1] They have offices in Hong Kong and Germany.
Northern Digital was acquired by Roper Industries in 2011.[2]
In 2012, Northern Digital acquired Ascension Technology, a provider of 3D tracking technology.[3][4] The deal was approved by NDI's parent company, Roper Industries.[5]
Product lineup[edit]
NDI's Product lineup includes: Optical Measurement Systems[6] including the Polaris (Flagship Model) the Optotrak and the Certus HD; Electromagnetic Tracking Systems[7] such as the Aurora and Wave; Laser Trackers[8] (ScanTRAK); and Reflective Marker Spheres[9] which are authorized 'Brainlab[10]' partner utilities.
Medical sector[edit]
NDI's primary products are optical measurement systems used in surgery and other medical procedures.[1] The company's primary optical tracking tool, the 'Polaris', is used in many medical procedures including Brain Surgery, Neurosurgery, PET Procedures, Ear Nose & Throat Surgery, Medical Robotics Integration, Spinal Surgery, Computer Assisted Therapy and I.G.R.T. (Image-Guided Radiation Therapy).[11] The company's Wave Speech Research system is able to track minute movements in a child's mouth with the goal of developing better speech therapy protocols, particularly for children whose pathology involves spasticity, such as in cerebral palsy patients.[12]
Ascension Technology[edit]
In 2012, Northern Digital acquired Ascension Technology, a provider of 3D tracking technology.
Ascension Technology was co-founded by Jack Scully and Ernie Blood in 1986.[13][14] The company was based in Colchester, Vermont.[15] Jack Scully and Ernie Blood had previously created the digitizer used in the Star Wars series. One of Ascension's products was the Flock of Birds 3D tracking system.[14]
The Flock of Birds system uses DC magnetic tracking.[16]
In 1997, the price tag for one of the models of Ascension's wearable motion capture systems was over $30,000.[17]
One of Ascension's tracking systems was the LaserBIRD optical tracker, which was used as the 3D tracking in the U.S. Army's Virtual Cockpit Optimization Program (VCOP) for helicopter pilots.[18]
Industrial sector[edit]
NDI has many tracking products designed for industries.[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Walcoff, Matt (2008-01-05). "Northern Digital sold". TheRecord.com. Metroland Media Group, Ltd. Archived from the original on 2008-01-07. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
- ^ "Roper Industries Completes Acquisition of Northern Digital Inc". Quality Digest. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- ^ "Roper Industries Acquires Ascension Technology". Becker's Hospital Review. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- ^ Tishin, Alexander (2021-11-18). Magnetic Materials and Technologies for Medical Applications. Duxford Cambridge, MA Kidlington, OX: Woodhead Publishing. p. 298. ISBN 978-0-12-822533-2.
- ^ "Medical device maker Northern Digital buys Vermont firm". Guleph Mercury Tribune. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- ^ "Products: Optical Measurement, EM Tracking, Laser Scanners". NDI. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
- ^ "Products: Optical Measurement, EM Tracking, Laser Scanners". NDI. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
- ^ "ScanTRAK - Measurement Sciences". Measurement Sciences. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
- ^ "Products: Optical Measurement, EM Tracking, Laser Scanners". NDI. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
- ^ "Medical Software and Hardware Innovators - Brainlab". Brainlab. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
- ^ "Applications - Medical". Retrieved 2017-11-17.
- ^ "Speech Machine May Help Kids With Cerebral Palsy". The University of Texas at Dallas News Center. The University of Texas at Dallas. 2009-08-31. Retrieved 2009-10-25.
- ^ "Ascension Technology of Milton acquired by Roper Industries". Vermont Business Magazine. 2012-08-28. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ^ a b Carlson, Wayne E. (2017-06-20). "17.4 Interaction". The Ohio State University. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ^ Cutillo, Cat (2024-02-20). "Alumni Spotlight: Jack T. Scully '69". Saint Michael's College. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ^ Burdea, Grigore C.; Coiffet, Philippe (2017-11-01). Virtual Reality Technology. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-119-48572-8.
A magnetic tracker that uses DC magnetic fields is the FLock of Birds produced by the Ascension Technology Co.
- ^ Matzer, Marla (1997-09-08). "Animation's New 'Toon". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ^ Arthur, Jarvis (Trey) J.; Bailey, Randall E.; Williams, Steven P.; Prinzel, Lawrence J.; Shelton, Kevin J.; Jones, Denise R.; Houston, Vincent E. (2017-02-01). "Review of head-worn displays for the Next Generation Air Transportation System". Optical Engineering. 56 (5): 051405. doi:10.1117/1.OE.56.5.051405. ISSN 0091-3286.
