Science Accessories
Science Accessories Corporation (SAC) was a company that made 2D and 3D computer input devices, including the Spacepen and Graf/Pen.
The products are based on a pen tracked in position and in some models, rotation. The 3D tracking is based on multilateration.
The company was originally controlled by Amperex Electronics Corporation. It started business in 1965.[1] The company was eventually acquired and merged into CalComp.
The company was based in Connecticut.
Products[edit]
GP stands for graf/pen. The products do time-of-flight (TOF) measurements of acoustic pulses to determine the position of a transmitter on a handheld probe.
- Graf/Pen GP-2 - 2D digitizer that uses three microphones for multilateration
- Graf/Pen GP-3
- Graf/Pen GP-6 line
- Graf/Pen GP-7
- Graf/Bar GP-7
- Graf/Pen GP-7 MK II
- Graf/Pen GP-8-3D Three Dimensional Digitizer.[2]
- OD-1 two-dimensional optical digitizer.[3]
- Graf/Pen GP-9 - 2D digitizer
- Graf/Pen GP-9 XL - 2D
GP-12 line[edit]
SAC sold GP-12 products, later branded Freepoint 3D.
- GP-12 3D - Update rate up to 75 Hz
- GP-12 XL
3rd party[edit]
A company that produced related proructs was Rock Technologies, also known as Roctek. For example, the RD-48.[4]
Technology[edit]
Science Accessories uses sonic technology and a contact probe to capture surface or positioning information from an object.
In effect, their 3D products do for solid objects what a 2D digitizing tablet does for drawings. The probe is a hand-held device that has two sound emitters on it that are in a line formation with the tip going through the body of the device.[1]
In one study, Science Accessories' Graf/Bar was used with an Apple IIe computer.[5]
History[edit]
Science Accessories was previously controlled by Amperex Electronics Corporation.[6]
In the 1970s, three employees, including Albert Whetstone, left and founded Summagraphics.[7]
As of 1974, SAC had created the first 3D isomorphic interaction computer input device ever.[8]
In about 1975, Joseph A. Howells was vice president of the company.[6]
Science Accessories was a public company. In 1994, GTCO Corp acquired majority ownership in the company.[9] The board of directors was changed.[10]
SAC's 2D products use a frame in the shape of an L for 2D, and a frame that is a full quadrilateral for 3D. 2D needs only three microphones, hence the L, and 3D needs four.[11]
The company's mailing address was 2 Research Drive P.O.Box 825 Shelton CT, USA.[12] At one point the company's address was 200 Watson Blvd. Stratford, CT. At one point its address was 970 Kings Highway West Southport, Connecticut.[11]
Product releases[edit]
GP-7 Mark II was introduced in 1986. The Mark II is largely the same as the original GP-7 but has a larger active area.[11]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Freepoint 3D Digitizer". 2001-10-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20020319055638if_/http://www.digitizer.ca/sa/sa-free.htm.
- ↑ "An Automatic Position Detector for Handheld NDE Probes". https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA209526.pdf.
- ↑ "NASA Tech Briefs June 1994 Vol. 18 No. 6". https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20100030371/downloads/20100030371.pdf.
- ↑ "Byte Magazine August 1989". p. 35. https://vintageapple.org/byte/pdf/198908_Byte_Magazine_Vol_14-08_80386-Based_Portable-Neural_Networking-Mac_supp.pdf.
- ↑ "Distribution, Advection, and Growth of Larvae of the Southern Temperate Gadoid, Macruronus novaezelandiae (Teleostei: Merlucciidae), in Australian Coastal Waters". https://spo.nmfs.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/pdf-content/fish-bull/thresher.pdf.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Hand Lettering Is Utilized by Computer". 1975-10-04. https://www.nytimes.com/1975/10/04/archives/hand-lettering-is-utilized-by-computer-patents-script-utilized-in.html.
- ↑ "Science Accessories v. Summagraphics". 1980-11-21. https://law.justia.com/cases/delaware/supreme-court/1980/425-a-2d-957-1.html.
- ↑ Burton, Robert P.; Sutherland, Ivan E. (1974). "Twinkle box: a three-dimensional computer input device". ACM Press. p. 513. doi:10.1145/1500175.1500278. http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=1500175.1500278.
- ↑ "GTCO Corporation, (say "gee-tee-co")". https://web.archive.org/web/19961220233454if_/http://gtco.com/.
- ↑ https://www.courant.com/1994/10/31/company-acquires-majority-interest/
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "Science Accessories Corp.". https://history.siggraph.org/exhibitor/science-accessories-corp/.
- ↑ "Human Movement Tracking Technology". 1998-05-08. https://xspasm.com/x/sfu/vmi/HMTT.add.html.
- "GP-9 TWO-DIMENSIONAL SONIC DIGITIZER". https://www.interworldna.com/sa/sa-gp9.php.
- "GRAF/ PEN". https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102649139/search/organization:science-accessories-corporation-sac-organization/.
- "ADA314134". p. 62. https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA314134.pdf.
- RELoad, the (2002-01-09). "SeqEd". https://bip.weizmann.ac.il/education/materials/gcg/seqed.html.
- "GTCO Corporation, (say "gee-tee-co")". https://web.archive.org/web/19970119154011if_/http://www.gtco.com/gp9.html.