PhaseSpace
PhaseSpace designs and manufactures active LED optical motion capture systems (Impulse X2E) with 960 FPS capture and sub-millisecond latency, serving robotics labs, neuroscience researchers, sports biomechanists, and virtual production studios worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersSan Leandro, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What PhaseSpace does
PhaseSpace Inc., founded in 1998 and headquartered in San Leandro, California, designs and manufactures active LED-based optical motion capture systems for robotics, scientific research, sports biomechanics, and entertainment/virtual production customers worldwide. The company's flagship Impulse X2E system operates at 960 frames per second with sub-millimeter precision and sub-millisecond end-to-end latency, distinguishing itself from passive retroreflective systems through amplitude-modulated active LED markers that carry unique identities — eliminating marker-swapping problems and enabling operation in direct sunlight, underwater, and other challenging environments where passive systems fail. The hardware platform includes cameras (daisy-chained via standard RJ-45 for combined signal and power), LED markers, a processing hub, and a real-time SDK for direct integration into robotic control loops and research data pipelines, with an optional A2D Integration Box for synchronizing motion data with EEG, EMG, and force-plate physiological signals.
PhaseSpace generates revenue primarily through one-time hardware sales of complete motion capture systems (entry-level 2-camera configuration at $9,000, expansion cameras at $2,000 each), custom bespoke engineering projects for specialized environments (e.g., underwater tracking, ship-side tracking, custom OpenAI Rubik's Cube configuration), and modular system expansion as customers scale capture volumes. The go-to-market combines direct enterprise field sales with a global certified reseller network spanning 15+ partners across North America, South America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Australia. The company is privately held, founder-led (Tracy McSheery as Founder and CEO), and has served a customer base that includes Google, OpenAI, Disney, Stellantis, Amazon, NASA, CERN, MIT, Stanford, and numerous other leading research institutions.
PhaseSpace firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PhaseSpace
- Legal name
- PhaseSpace Inc.
- Website
- https://phasespace.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- PhaseSpace designs and manufactures active LED optical motion capture systems (Impulse X2E) with 960 FPS capture and sub-millisecond latency, serving robotics labs, neuroscience researchers, sports biomechanists, and virtual production studios worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PhaseSpace industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Motion Capture Systems
- NAICS
- Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451), Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing (33513)
- SIC
- Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Electric Lighting & Wiring Equipment (3640)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Optoelectronic Emitters (LED/Laser/VCSEL) (HDAHALAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Machine Vision & Inspection Lighting (Ring lights, bar lights, backlights, strobed illumination) (IMAGAIAG), Optoelectronic Components (LEDs, photodiodes, optocouplers, optical sensors) (IMAGAJAF)
Keywords
Where PhaseSpace is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Leandro
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
PhaseSpace business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Hardware Systems Sales: One-time sale of complete Impulse X2E motion capture systems including cameras, server, hub, and LED modules. Base 2-camera system plus additional camera expansion.
- Camera and Accessory Expansion: Additional cameras sold at $2,000 per unit for system expansion. Modular architecture allows seamless capture volume scaling.
- Custom/Bespoke Solutions: Custom motion capture configurations for specialized challenges including underwater tracking, ship-side tracking, and unique marker configurations for robotics research.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Impulse X2E 2-Camera Starter System |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Additional Camera Expansion |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
PhaseSpace product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PhaseSpace designs, manufactures, and sells the Impulse X2E active LED motion capture system, consisting of high-frame-rate optical cameras, proprietary active LED markers, a processing hub, and server. The system delivers 960 FPS capture with sub-millisecond latency and sub-millimeter precision for robotics, neuroscience, biomechanics, and virtual production applications.
Product overview
PhaseSpace offers the Impulse X2E motion capture system as its core product, a hardware-based active LED motion capture platform. The system consists of Impulse X2E cameras operating at 960 FPS with sub-millimeter precision, active LED markers with unique amplitude-modulated IDs for guaranteed marker identity, a processing hub, and server. The Real-Time SDK streams position data with sub-millisecond latency to customer applications. Optional accessories include the A2D Integration Box for synchronizing with EEG/EMG/force plate systems. PhaseSpace also provides custom bespoke solutions including underwater tracking systems, ship-side tracking, and specialized marker configurations for unique applications like the OpenAI Rubik's Cube tracking project.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Impulse X2E Motion Capture System Primary motion capture system featuring active LED marker technology with 960 FPS capture rate, sub-millimeter precision, unique marker IDs via amplitude modulation, and sub-millisecond latency real-time streaming. Supports outdoor capture, 6DOF rigid body tracking, and unlimited capture volume scaling.
- Impulse X2E Camera Optical camera that captures at 960 frames per second with active LED marker detection. Features daisy-chain connectivity using standard RJ-45 connectors for simplified setup with combined signal and power delivery.
- Impulse X2E 2-Camera Starter System Entry-level complete motion capture system including 2 Impulse X2E cameras, server, hub, 1 LED module with 8 active LEDs, full SDK, and real-time streaming capability. Starting price $9,000.
- Active LED Markers Active LED markers that emit unique individual signals for guaranteed marker identity without post-processing. Each marker has a unique amplitude-modulated pulse signature, enabling tracking of 500+ markers simultaneously without marker swapping.
- A2D Integration Box
Quantifiable outcome
- Sub-millimeter precision tracking for robotics and research applications
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use PhaseSpace
Customer profileNamed customers24 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
PhaseSpace technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature8 records
PhaseSpace partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered regional.
- Inition, Ltd.regionalCertified PhaseSpace reseller for United Kingdom. Provides local sales, service, and support for UK customers.
- EST (Engineering Systems Technologies)regionalCertified PhaseSpace reseller covering Austria, Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland (DACH region).
- Precision Technologies (Singapore)regionalCertified reseller for Singapore market. Provided custom underwater tracking solution for marine research.
- Anvarc Technologies (India)regionalCertified PhaseSpace reseller for India.
- Nihon Binary Co., Ltd. (Japan)regionalCertified reseller for Japan market.
- Motion Technologies (Korea)regionalCertified reseller for Korea.
- Pitotech Co., Ltd. (Taiwan)regionalCertified reseller for Taiwan market.
- Beijing Byoned Technology Co., Ltd.regionalReseller for China market.
- Beijing Asahi 3D Technology Co., Ltd.regionalReseller for China market.
- RPM ProdutoraregionalReseller for South America and Latin America market.
- Software y Sistemas EspecializadosregionalReseller for Colombia and Latin America market.
- LaberitregionalReseller for Spain and EU market.
- Tam Vien Joint Stock CompanyregionalReseller for Vietnam market.
- Mediasys, LLC.regionalReseller for Middle East market based in Dubai.
- TrackLab (Australia)regionalCertified reseller for Australia market.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
PhaseSpace competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Vicon (Oxford Metrics): Vicon is the established leader in optical motion capture for entertainment, life sciences, and engineering — the same core markets PhaseSpace serves. Vicon's passive retroreflective systems are the principal alternative to PhaseSpace's active LED approach and are explicitly compared in PhaseSpace's FAQ content.
- OptiTrack (NaturalPoint): OptiTrack is a direct competitor offering high-performance optical motion capture systems widely used in virtual production, gaming, and robotics — overlapping with PhaseSpace's robotics, virtual production, and research use cases. PhaseSpace explicitly compares against OptiTrack in FAQ/comparison content.
- Qualisys: Qualisys produces high-end optical motion capture systems used in biomechanics, sports, and clinical research — directly competing with PhaseSpace's research and sports/rehabilitation segments. Both vendors emphasize precision, low latency, and integration with physiological data streams.
- Xsens (Movella): Xsens (now part of Movella) makes inertial and optical motion capture systems used across entertainment, sports, and research. Although the technology differs (inertial vs. PhaseSpace's active LED optical), they serve overlapping customer use cases in animation, biomechanics, and industrial motion tracking.
- ART (Advanced Realtime Tracking): ART develops high-precision optical tracking systems for research, engineering, and industrial applications. Comparable to PhaseSpace in targeting university labs, robotics, and simulation/VR environments where sub-millimeter tracking and real-time performance are required.
- Motion Analysis Corporation: Motion Analysis provides optical motion capture systems for biomechanics, sports science, and rehabilitation research. Directly comparable to PhaseSpace's Health & Science Research and Sports & Rehabilitation segments, with emphasis on gait analysis and clinical-grade accuracy.
- Noraxon USA: Noraxon provides integrated motion capture and EMG/biomechanics systems for sports, clinical, and research applications. Comparable to PhaseSpace's biomechanics and neuroscience segments, including synchronized EMG/force plate workflows similar to PhaseSpace's A2D Integration Box.
- STT Systems: STT Systems offers optical and inertial motion capture for entertainment, virtual production, and biomechanics. Overlaps with PhaseSpace's entertainment segment (virtual production camera tracking, character animation) and serves similar European customers.
Emerging players
- Move.ai: Move.ai offers AI-based markerless motion capture using commodity cameras, positioning itself as a hardware-free alternative to optical mocap vendors including PhaseSpace. An emerging competitor whose improving precision could compress the addressable market for active LED systems.
- Theia Markerless: Theia Markerless provides markerless biomechanics analysis using standard video, competing with optical mocap systems in clinical gait and rehabilitation — directly adjacent to PhaseSpace's sports/rehabilitation segment. Represents the long-term AI-based disruption to traditional mocap.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
PhaseSpace social profiles
Digital presencePhaseSpace financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PhaseSpace leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
PhaseSpace funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PhaseSpace M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about PhaseSpace
What does PhaseSpace do?
PhaseSpace designs, manufactures, and sells the Impulse X2E active LED motion capture system, consisting of high-frame-rate optical cameras, proprietary active LED markers, a processing hub, and server. The system delivers 960 FPS capture with sub-millisecond latency and sub-millimeter precision for robotics, neuroscience, biomechanics, and virtual production applications.
Is PhaseSpace a public or private company?
PhaseSpace is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was PhaseSpace founded?
PhaseSpace was founded in 1998. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is PhaseSpace based?
PhaseSpace is headquartered in San Leandro, United States, in the North America region.
How does PhaseSpace make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Hardware Systems Sales are the primary driver. The others are camera and Accessory Expansion and custom/Bespoke Solutions.
Who are PhaseSpace's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Vicon (Oxford Metrics), OptiTrack (NaturalPoint), Qualisys, Xsens (Movella), ART (Advanced Realtime Tracking), Motion Analysis Corporation, Noraxon USA and STT Systems. Emerging players are Move.ai and Theia Markerless.
Does PhaseSpace have an API?
Yes. PhaseSpace provides a real-time SDK that streams position data with sub-millisecond latency directly to customer applications. The SDK enables integration with robotic control loops, virtual production engines, and research data pipelines. Camera configuration supports daisy chaining with standard RJ-45 connectors for signal and power.
What industry is PhaseSpace in?
PhaseSpace's product category is Motion Capture Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAHALAL, Optoelectronic Emitters (LED/Laser/VCSEL), with a secondary code of IMAGAIAG, Machine Vision & Inspection Lighting (Ring lights, bar lights, backlights, strobed illumination). Its NAICS code is 334519 and its SIC code is 3823.