Markerpanels

MarkerPanels are modular panels designed to carry machine-readable markers used for tracking, calibration, and localization in physical environments. They provide a lightweight, scalable way to establish common coordinate frames across spaces and devices, enabling reliable registration between real world scenes and digital representations.

Panels are manufactured in rigid or flexible formats and built from materials such as aluminum, wood, or composite polymers. They can range from small wall panels to large floor or panel grids. Mounting options include screws, magnets, or adhesive mounts, and many designs support linkages to form continuous marker grids.

Each panel carries one or more fiducial patterns, including conventional AR markers, AprilTag-like codes, QR-like symbols, or custom dot patterns. The markers are designed for robust detection under common conditions and can be passive (printed on the panel) or active (with embedded light or infrared emitters). Cameras or sensor arrays detect the markers to compute pose and scale.

MarkerPanels are used in augmented reality workflows, robotics navigation, motion capture, industrial automation, and stage design. They enable rapid calibration of multi-camera setups, alignment of overlays with physical objects, and reliable tracking of moving equipment in studio or factory environments.

Advantages include fast deployment, modular scalability, and straightforward interoperability with standard fiducial systems. Limitations involve sensitivity to occlusion, marker wear, and lighting conditions, as well as the need for periodic recalibration in dynamic environments.

Several families of MarkerPanels have emerged to support grid-based layout, edge-to-edge alignment, and flexible integration with existing measurement or AR systems. See also fiducial marker, calibration target, AR tracking, and motion capture.