Vicon Active Wand: Calibration Made Easy

For teams using motion capture at the forefront of ICVFX, human factors engineering, high-end sports, life sciences, and even robotics, dependable camera tracking is non-negotiable. Vicon has long led the field in motion capture, giving studios and researchers alike the accuracy and robustness they need to make fast, confident decisions when it counts. The new Vicon Active Wand builds on that pedigree, streamlining calibration so teams spend less time worrying about system set-up, and more time capturing performance. Whether you need to calibrate infrared, near-infrared, video camera systems or a mixture of these, the Active Wand is here to give you the space to focus on your data capture.

Active Wand uses active marker technology designed specifically for calibration. High‑powered LEDs are fitted on both sides of the wand, so more cameras maintain a line of sight during a wand wave, improving coverage across complex volumes or lab spaces, reducing the time it takes to complete a calibration. Teams benefit from faster, less physically demanding passes, with an ergonomic handle and balanced weight distribution. The result is consistent, high‑quality data collection possible across labs, the outdoors, and stages.

Two variants support a wide range of setups:

• • Active Wand (IR‑only) – for Vicon IR or video camera systems.
  • Active Wand Hybrid (NIR & IR) – for mixed systems combining legacy NIR cameras with newer IR cameras, enabling a single, unified calibration workflow.

For VFX studios, engineering, or life sciences, precision is paramount. On‑set or in-the-lab decisions are only as good as the data feeding the monitors. Fast, accurate and stable tracking keeps shots aligned and cuts fixes in post. Together, these details help maintain calibration integrity between takes and across lighting changes, supporting the stability that real‑time finishing demands. 

• • Speed: Typical wand‑wave time averages ~23 seconds in testing (compared to the previous wand of ~55 seconds) – a step change that is maintained across resets and location moves.
  • Coverage: LED visibility and sync range up to 50m help maintain consistent detection in big volumes with wide camera baselines.
  • Endurance: A lithium‑polymer battery targets about 5 hours in strobe mode, with a 2‑hour charge time via USB‑C, and a design rated for 1,500 cycles, reducing wand downtime.

Virtual production camera tracking connects the physical and digital worlds, ensuring LED backdrops, CG sets, and live action stay perfectly aligned as the camera moves. As high‑power LED volumes and ICVFX workflows scale, the demand for tracking increases: larger stages, more cameras, tougher sightlines and tighter real‑time expectations. That makes reliable, repeatable calibration essential; when calibration is fast and precise, you protect continuity, minimise retakes and keep the creative flow moving.

Active Wand integrates seamlessly with Vicon’s Active Crown and our camera arrays and plugs straight into the Vicon capture-to-solve pipeline. Whether you’re calibrating a compact facial volume, gait analysis, or a large multi‑camera stage, the wand’s dual‑sided emitters and balanced form factor help ensure reliable calibration without re‑positioning cameras or adding temporary reflectives. Standard USB‑C charging also suits mobility and location work, where power and turnaround matter.

For teams running mixed NIR/IR camera fleets during staged upgrades, the Hybrid version removes the need to perform separate calibrations, saving time and keeping systems online

Active Wand is built with every mocap discipline in mind, where accuracy can make or break your research, production or engineering test. Across these scenarios, faster setup and stronger coverage keeps work on track and friction low.

• • Entertainment / VFX: From large indoor volumes to detailed facial capture, crews can rely on swift, repeatable calibration and return attention to performance direction sooner.
  • Engineering & robotics: Consistent calibration supports precise tracking for drones, autonomous platforms and mechatronics in both expansive and compact labs.
  • Life sciences & sports research: High‑confidence calibration accelerates session setup so clinicians and researchers can focus on outcomes for participants and patients.

The Active Wand programme focuses on three practical pillars: Fast, Easy and Reliable. In practice, that translates to:

• • Fast: Dual‑sided LEDs increase visibility across more cameras, even at the edges of the volume, cutting wave time and enabling efficient calibrations in large stages, labs or workshops without extra passes.
  • Easy: Improved weight distribution, an ergonomic handle and an optional handle extension support comfortable, controlled waves, especially when cameras are mounted high or spread wide.
  • Reliable: USB‑C charging, robust battery health and solid sync help keep your stage or lab ready when the timing is tight.

• • Pick Active Wand (IR‑only) if you run Vicon IR or video cameras and you want a straightforward, single‑wand workflow.
  • Choose Active Wand Hybrid (NIR & IR) if you operate a mixed system, or you’re upgrading cameras over time and need one tool to calibrate both.

If you’re unsure which variant fits your setup, our team can help you match the wand to your volume size, camera mix and existing rig.

• • Average wand‑wave: ~23 s (prev. ~55 s)
  • Sync / LED range: up to 50 m
  • Battery / charge: ~5 h runtime, ~2 h charge, USB‑C, ~1,500 cycles
  • Weight: ~539 g (without plates) / ~577 g (with plates)
  • Length / width: ~614 mm × ~368 mm

For more details, download the Active Wand specsheet here.

If you’re scaling ICVFX, performing vital research, or modernising your stage, the Active Wand is a high‑impact upgrade to your calibration toolkit. Explore the device range on Vicon’s calibration devices page, then speak to our team to scope your volume, choose between IR‑only and Hybrid options, and plan a smooth rollout. We can advise on camera layouts, operator training and best‑practice calibration routines so you are ready to capture in time, every time.