Logitech announces worldwide availability of MAGELLAN 3D Controller, based on space shuttle robotics technology; 3D Controller allows users to manipulate 3D objects in CAD/CAM and visual simulation applications

Business Wire, April 14, 1997

FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 14, 1997--Logitech today announced worldwide availability of the MAGELLAN(superscript: TM) 3D Controller, an advanced input device for interactive motion control of 3D graphic objects.

The MAGELLAN 3D Controller allows users to intuitively and precisely manipulate 3D objects in CAD/CAM and visual simulation applications. The device is based on the technology used to control the first robot in space, and has now been adapted for a wide range of tasks including mechanical design, video animation, virtual reality design up to robotic and medical microscope control.

The MAGELLAN 3D Controller has been available in Europe since 1993 under the name SPACE MOUSE and has become Europe's most popular 3D input device with more than 10,000 installations. Customers in Europe include BMW, Toyota, Audi, Daimler-Benz, Porsche and Zeiss, among many others.

Design engineers can use the MAGELLAN 3D Controller to design complex products such as automobiles or airplanes, while surgeons can use it to position microscopes without disturbing a surgical procedure. Leading manufacturers of robots, such as KUKA, equip their control panels with MAGELLAN technology in order to provide a powerful and reliable man-machine interface for teaching and guiding robots in six degrees of freedom.

After early success in the U.S., Logitech recently entered into agreements with leading CAD/CAM resellers and integrators such as Rand Technologies, Dassault Systemes (North America), L&H Consultants, DECS, Marissa OPENTEC and CONCENTRIC Asia/Pacific, among others, making MAGELLAN technology now widely available to design professionals in North America and Asia.

"With the MAGELLAN 3D Controller, we are setting a world standard for man-machine communication in 3D graphics applications which is unequaled in reliability and ease-of-use. Manipulating a graphic object in six degrees of freedom or flying oneself through virtual worlds is done intuitively and takes just minutes to learn with MAGELLAN," said Max R. Herrmann, director of sales and marketing for 3D Professional Devices at Logitech. "For the first time, a professional 3D input device has won broad user acceptance. This can be attributed to Magellan's ability to meet today's expectations for improved productivity in the industrial designing process."

"We believe MAGELLAN to be the technologically most mature, ergonomically best and at the same time most economic of all 3D input devices," concluded Klaus Grebner, Research and Technology division, Daimler-Benz AG. "And we are not the only ones who think this way."

Hans Rhomberg, system administrator at BMW AG, a company heavily relying on CATIA software solutions, emphasized that "our 3D CAD workstations are and will be equipped with MAGELLAN as standard equipment."

The MAGELLAN 3D Controller has an extensive history. The device is the result of years of development in the space and robotics industry. Its predecessor, the DLR "Control Ball," was used to remotely control the first robot in space which flew in NASA's Columbia space shuttle in 1993 ("SpaceLab D2" mission). Now available in North America and Asia, the MAGELLAN 3D Controller thus combines leading-edge technology with Logitech's worldwide brand recognition and uncontested product quality. Known as the preeminent control device company, Logitech recently produced its 100 millionth mouse in April 1996.

"After having evaluated current 3D input technologies, Rand found the MAGELLAN to be the best product available on the market," said Brian Semkiw, president and CEO of Rand Technologies. "With its high-precision motion control and six degrees of freedom, Logitech's MAGELLAN was a clear choice. We are sure our customers will agree."

The MAGELLAN 3D Controller is available for both UNIX and PC platforms to be used with industry-standard CAD/CAM applications such as CATIA, Pro/Engineer, I-DEAS or SolidWorks. It can control an object in up to six degrees of freedom (X,Y, Z, pitch, roll, and yaw movement). While positioning the object with the 3D Controller, users can work on that object using a second pointer device, such as a mouse or a tablet.

Rigorous product design has resulted in several advanced features. For example, MAGELLAN enables direct access from its keyboard to the YES/NO prompts in CATIA and features a brand new operating mode known as the "dialmode" option. This mode allows the user to control each single degree of freedom separately, similar to "dialbox" controllers.

About Logitech

Founded in 1981, Logitech designs, manufactures and markets products that make communication between humans and computers more intuitive and natural. Retail and OEM product offerings include pointing devices such as mice and trackballs, sheetfed and handheld scanners, control devices for entertainment and professional use and digital video cameras. Logitech maintains operational headquarters in Fremont, and regional headquarters in Romanel, Switzerland, and Hsinchu, Taiwan, R.O.C. In addition, the company maintains offices in major cities in North America, Europe and Asia. Logitech International, the holding company for the Logitech Group, is traded publicly in Switzerland on the Zurich and in the United States on the NASDAQ (LOGIY) exchanges.