InterSense


InterSense is a subsidiary of Thales Defense and Security Inc. and the Thales Group. It is a supplier of 3 and six degrees of freedom hybrid motion capture products based on MEMS inertial sensor technology and other sensors such as optical and ultrasonic. It offers motion tracking systems for the simulation and training, visualization, entertainment, medical, sports, robotics, and aerospace industries.

History

InterSense is based in Billerica, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded in 1996 by Eric Foxlin. Foxlin's pioneering work in the area of MEMS based motion capture at Massachusetts Institute of Technology resulted in winning the 50k award. which provided seed funding to create InterSense. InterSense went on to develop motion tracking products, first based on inertial hybridized with ultrasonic ranging and then inertial hybridized with optical. In 2009 the company developed and released an inertial measurement unit called the NavChip that provides wide temperature range calibrated performance. InterSense released the Series 3 NavChip featuring improved performance in July of 2019.
InterSense was purchased by Gentex Corporation in December 2011. The InterSense business was merged into Gentex's Visionix Helmet Mounted Display business line. The Thales Group purchased the Visionix business line, including InterSense, in December 2012. The Visionix business was then placed under the Thales Group US defense business called Thales Defense and Security, Inc. InterSense continues to trade under the brand name InterSense.