This is Koala, a new tracking solution that For-A will exhibit at IBC 2023

For-A return to IBC 2023 with Koala, a camera tracking solution that is committed to an innovative approach, as a great novelty.

The new Koala, designed and built by For-A Europe and available in Europe, makes high-quality live augmented reality production a practical proposal for broadcast, corporate and event applications.

The solution seeks to eliminate the most common limitations of augmented reality implementation by offering a compact unit that attaches to “any” camera (“like a koala to a tree”) providing data of tracking “instantly”. According to For-A, this approach implies the elimination of calibration delays, as well as giving broadcast companies the possibility of choosing the best-fit camera and pan/tilt head to your production needs.

The Koala generates high-precision pan and tilt information along with zoom and focus adjustments from digital lenses or via external encoders. Initially designed for cameras on tripods, the system will also have a version capable of generating XYZ positional information when used on a crane. Similarly, the Koala tool is defined as “completely autonomous” and even sends tracking data (in the FreeD protocol) via Wifi. You can also connect to graphics engine via Ethernet or serial port, so you don't need special cables.

Fabio Varolo, sales director of For-A Italia, highlights the innovation behind the latest solution from the Japanese firm: "Augmented reality is increasingly popular in events and presentations, in addition to being increasingly used in live broadcasts. Koala is going to be transformative, because it is simple to implement, does not need calibration and is very profitable. From now on, it will be possible to create impressive live content with virtual environments, quickly and easily."