VR Mouse - Position Tracker

For certain drug studies the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology requires the capture of the movement of a mouse, while also its brain is scanned via a microscope at the same time. 

For this problem we have created an air bearing for a Styrofoam ball, where the mouse can be placed on top of it in a fixed position, while also able to move freely. Infrared position sensors monitor the motion of the ball and therefore the movement of the mouse.

Click on the images for a larger view.

 

Rendering of Design of Ball Bearing    Active Experiment with Mouse spinning the ball tracker