What differentiates Jigabot from other products & technologies? There are a lot of things, but today let’s focus on one essential: indoor tracking capability.
What’s the use of a tracking system that is not 100% accurate, dependable, and robust?
Jigabot has developed the world’s best indoor tracking. It took 10 years to do so. And while we realize that “best indoor tracking” is an extremely bold claim, this article explains why we claim it.
What does “Best Indoor Tracking” mean?
By Indoor Tracking we simply mean following a subject indoors, rather than outdoors in direct sunlight. If you need outdoor tracking, Jigabot can’t help you. We are focused on tracking subjects indoors, in the most dependable, robust ways. By Best we mean that if you were to line up a Jigabot tracking system with any other indoor tracking system in the world for a straight-up comparison, the Jigabot will be the most (1) accurate, (2) responsive, and (3) smooth. Additionally it will work at longer distances, and without the problems found with RTLS radio and AI tracking systems.
Where does Jigabot Not Work?
To be fair, we wanted to tell you candidly about the downsides of Jigabot’s tracking technology. There are two:
- Jigabot is not an outdoor tracking technology: while we have tested it at up to 100 feet outdoors, we do not claim it to be an outdoor tracking technology, and sunlight conditions affect Jigabot’s outdoor tracking substantially. Jigabot is not trying to make its technology work outdoors; Jigabot is an indoor tracking technology. The very best. But if you need outdoor tracking, you will need to look elsewhere.
- Jigabot requires that the tracking subject wears one or more “DOTs.” These DOTs are very small: about 1/4” in diameter. They are also powered by a power pack called a DOT Driver, for up to 9 consecutive hours on a charge. The DOT Driver can be worn within a pocket or on a belt or pants. DOTs emit a unique IR signal pattern that can be seen up to hundred of feet away, and tracked by a Jigabot EX Robot. True, this is less convenient than AI face tracking that requires no tags or DOTs. But it is also true that Jigabot’s DOT tracking is always on target—up to hundreds of feet away or more—while AI face tracking completely breaks down at such ranges. So the question to ask is this: do you want accurate tracking indoors, or tracking that is accurate sometimes? If the former, then Jigabot DOTs are the solution for you.
What Users Say?
We often get contacted by customers of competitive products. They tell us the same things: that tracking from competitive products is not accurate. They often feel that these other products product are useless. After all, what’s the point of a tracking robot that is not accurate? These customers end up purchasing our product based upon a need for accuracy, and guess what? Once purchased, they are almost NEVER returned! In other words: customers NOT satisfied with competitive product tracking ARE satisfied by Jigabot product tracking.
We often visit with Jigabot’s school customers at education trade shows, and they tell us that they “love Jigabot!” We run into school customers at education trade shows who say the opposite: “we bought hundreds of competitive products and they’re sitting in a closet because they’re complicated and because they don’t track very well.”
Similarly, when we talk with church customers who buy competitive systems, or videographers doing event shoots, they tell us the same thing: competitive products don’t work at longer ranges indoors. They switch to Jigabot and are happy customers.
What Reviewers Say
There has been one comprehensive comparison of tracking systems. In 2020, MarkusPix (103K subscribers) did a review of all major tracking devices. This is an independent review (he bought the system from us.) Over 90K viewers have seen the resulting video. At the very start of the video he shows a tracking system keeping up with him as he runs quickly back and forth. Again, Jigabot. At at the end of the video 12:50 minutes he says that Jigabot is the “most accurate indoor tracking,” he recommends Jigabot.
Indoors is where Jigabot shines: when you need the most accurate possible tracking.
What the Technology Offers
Another way to see the accuracy of Jigabot’s indoor tracking, is to compare the underlying tracking technologies of tracking systems. Each technology has its strengths and weaknesses:
- AI face & motion tracking: this technology is the most common for a reason—it is the easiest to build. It is OK close up. But inherently, how accurate is AI? Just think about your texting app & spell checking feature. Does your AI ever drive you crazy? (Even after the worlds largest, riches companies spend many years developing their AI, it is still as the name implies: artificial.) AI is used in these products to “guess” that an image is what you want to track. It must guess because the technology doesn’t know for sure. The range of AI tracking is inherently limited. By contract, Jigabot’s tracking technology follows DOTs that are pulsing a unique signal pattern. These DOTs are known to be DOTs, and don’t have to be guessed at. It is really not possible for anything else to look like a DOT and its signal pattern, so the system robot doesn’t have to guess at which subject to follow: it simply follows the subject wearing the DOTs. While DOT technology is simple, it took 10 years to invent and develop this simplicity! In fact, for years Jigabot has had the technology to track faces and subjects without DOTs, but it has never sold products based upon such technology because they don’t work anywhere near as well as DOT technology.
- Radio RTLS: this technology works via triangulation of a tag on a subject. (Technically this is “trilateration” technology.) RTLS radio is used by products like Pixio from movensee.com. It works pretty well. And it certainly works indoors or outdoors. Like image tracking, Jigabot has also developed this tracking technology, but has never sold it because it is not as accurate as DOT tracking techonlogy. RTLS is inherently accurate because radio waves “bounce” off of items indoors, and create “echos” that make the system aim in the wrong place, or jump, or jitter. Especially near walls or people. Subjects typically need to hold the tag away from themselves (like holding up an arm where the tag is worn as a “watch”) to get the most accuracy. In a big empty field outdoors RTLS works best. But for indoor tracking, Jigabot’s DOT technology is fare more responsive (10X), more smooth, and more accurate.
- Other IR tracking systems: some systems use an IR tag on a lanyard. Swivl does this. The problem with lanyards on teachers is that when the teacher turns to the side or turns around, the system stops tracking! It can’t see the tag to follow it. So while a single tag on a lanyard is sold as a convenience factor, the product can’t track as teachers move about normally. And the range of their non-DOT IR tracking is about 1/8th of Jigabot’s range! Jigabot’s tiny DOT technology allows a subject to wear multiple IR emitters (DOTs) so that wherever they turn they can be seen and tracked!
In summary, Jigabot technology is not for those wanting to track outdoors. But if you need the most accurate indoor tracking, you won’t find better tracking technology. It is simply the world’s best indoor tracking. It took over 10 years to develop to a point where not product reviews, customers, and the technology itself shows that DOT tracking is the most accurate indoor tracking available at any price.