{"id":159,"date":"2020-06-17T09:59:24","date_gmt":"2020-06-17T13:59:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ndicorp2020.wpengine.com\/?page_id=159"},"modified":"2026-08-12T10:59:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T14:59:47","slug":"6dof-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/de\/articles\/6dof-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"5\/6DOF Sensors: Enhancing Medical Instrument Navigation"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"159\" class=\"elementor elementor-159\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dd9ca34 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"dd9ca34\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c5f063a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"c5f063a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c4d6753 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c4d6753\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Article<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b28db5f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"b28db5f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Navigating 5DOF and 6DOF Sensors in <br>Electromagnetic Image Guidance<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-507d0a0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"507d0a0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>By: Team NDI<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-62762bb e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"62762bb\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b46528a elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"b46528a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Navigating 5DOF and 6DOF Sensors in Electromagnetic Image Guidance<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9f50768 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9f50768\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>As a global leader in electromagnetic (EM) navigation, one of NDI\u2019s specialties is researching and designing 5 (Degrees of Freedom) DOF and 6DOF sensor technology used in EM tracking systems.<strong> The distinction between 5DOF and 6DOF sensors is critical to enhancing the accuracy and control of medical instrument navigation within the body.<br \/><br \/><\/strong>In this article, we&#8217;ll explore the differences between these sensor types, situations that may require one over the other, and how our expert integration team supports customers with different sensors based on their unique medical device needs.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-aa21bff e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"aa21bff\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0ccfb56 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0ccfb56\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">What are Degrees of Freedom and How Are They Reported?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5f37c53 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5f37c53\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/de\/aurora\/#Sensors\">Aurora\u00ae sensors<\/a> are defined as either 5DOF or 6DOF, and 3D Guidance\u00ae sensors as 6DOF, where the degrees of freedom (DOF) describes the number of axes in which a rigid body (object) moves freely in 3D space.<\/p><p><strong>Degrees of freedom are reported as translations and rotations.<br \/><\/strong><br \/>Translations (positions) on the X, Y, and Z-axes correspond with the following motion:<\/p><ul><li>Moving forward\/back on the X-axis (surge).<\/li><li>Moving left\/right on the Y-axis (heave).<\/li><li>Moving up\/down on the Z-axis (sway).<\/li><\/ul><p>Rotation on these axes provides orientation data:<\/p><ul><li>Tilting side-to-side on the longitudinal\/X- axis (roll).<\/li><li>Tilting forward\/back on the transverse\/Y-axis (pitch).<\/li><li>Turning left\/right on the normal\/Z-axis (yaw).<\/li><\/ul><p><strong><br \/>With 5DOF sensors, all three translations, and two of the three rotations are reported.<\/strong> Roll is excluded. Tracking in 5DOF could be based on movement limitations of the object, i.e., the object cannot physically turn (roll) side-to-side. Or it could be based on the object\u2019s configuration and how it\u2019s manually manipulated, such that its roll information does not need to be reported. For example, tracking the roll rotation of a needle is less important than knowing the position of the needle\u2019s tip and the direction of where the tip is pointing. The roll orientation data is unnecessary.<\/p><p><strong>With 6DOF sensors, all three translations and rotations are reported on the X-Y-Z axes.<\/strong> This means the ridged body, object, or system can move or rotate independently along all six possible axes in a 3D space. (It also means reporting an object\u2019s roll movement is necessary during the navigated procedure.) This level of freedom allows for more complex movements and orientations to be tracked when navigating inside the body. Another example would be that a robotic arm with 6DOF can reach a wider range of positions and orientations compared to a system with fewer degrees of freedom.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0dc4090 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"0dc4090\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/5DOF-vs-6DOF.jpg\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-title=\"5DOF vs 6DOF\" data-elementor-lightbox-description=\"5DOF vs 6DOF\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6ODc0LCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczpcL1wvd3d3Lm5kaWdpdGFsLmNvbVwvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyMFwvMTBcLzVET0YtdnMtNkRPRi5qcGcifQ%3D%3D\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1062\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/5DOF-vs-6DOF.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-874\" alt=\"5DOF vs 6DOF\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/5DOF-vs-6DOF.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/5DOF-vs-6DOF-300x166.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/5DOF-vs-6DOF-1024x566.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/5DOF-vs-6DOF-768x425.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/5DOF-vs-6DOF-1536x850.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9bdbd7a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"9bdbd7a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-01462e9 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"01462e9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">How NDI\u2019s Aurora and 3D Guidance EM Technology Obtain 6DOF Measurements<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-928f3fe elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"928f3fe\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Due to their sensor designs, <strong>Aurora and 3D Guidance obtain 6DOF measurements by different methods.<br \/><br \/><\/strong>For Aurora, two 5DOF sensors are fixed<strong> at an angle relative to each other<\/strong> to obtain the roll orientation data of a 6DOF sensor. During the characterization process, the two 5DOF sensors are combined into one single 6DOF sensor, with only the position and orientation measurements shown for the 6DOF sensor, not two sets of 5DOF measurements.<br \/><br \/>The Aurora calculates the tool\u2019s transformation (position and orientation) relative to the field generator\u2019s global coordinate system or relative to another 6DOF reference sensor affixed to the patient.<br \/><br \/>With the <strong>3D Guidance<\/strong>, the design of the transmitter and sensor allows 6DOF values to be achieved using a single sensor.<br \/><br \/>Although the Aurora and 3D Guidance solutions take different approaches to 6DOF tracking, the result is the same: via embedded sensors, the OEM host application knows if the medical instrument is \u2018facing the right direction\u2019 or \u2018right side up\u2019 during navigation (or if it\u2019s not). This is particularly important when tracking OEM medical instruments (such as scopes or catheters) that may roll or turn as they\u2019re navigated through tortuous anatomical tracts.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e1779fd elementor-widget elementor-widget-video\" data-id=\"e1779fd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;youtube_url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/youtu.be\\\/wPFX7IKwuUU&quot;,&quot;yt_privacy&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;video_type&quot;:&quot;youtube&quot;,&quot;controls&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"video.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-wrapper elementor-open-inline\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-video\"><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0328889 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"0328889\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2d89cd9 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2d89cd9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Meeting Unique OEM Customer Needs With 5DOF and 6DOF Sensors<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-97a9f6c elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"97a9f6c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>We understand that each customer\u2019s medical device has unique tracking requirements as it relates to instrument size, where and how the instrument is navigated, and benefits for improving procedure efficacy and outcomes via navigation.<br \/><br \/><strong>NDI has a full suite of standard 5DOF and 6DOF sensors, designed in-house by our expert sensor engineers<\/strong>, to support different tool and application integrations. Additionally, our integration team at NDI works with customers to identify and address the intricacies of new sensor integrations. For example, suppose a customer doesn\u2019t have space inside their medical device to put a 6DOF sensor due to its larger size. In that case, as we have done with Aurora integrations, there\u2019s the possibility of using two 5DOF sensors in their device, fixed relative to each other, to produce their own 6DOF sensor.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ff056d3 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"ff056d3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3522f36 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3522f36\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ab9ec0a elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"ab9ec0a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NDI_Sensors04994-1024x640.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3545\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NDI_Sensors04994-1024x640.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NDI_Sensors04994-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NDI_Sensors04994-768x480.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NDI_Sensors04994-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NDI_Sensors04994.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b069df3 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"b069df3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4a691c2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"4a691c2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NDI_Sensors05020-1024x640.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3546\" alt=\"Gloved fingertips holding a miniature electromagnetic sensor coil assembly with exposed copper windings using black tweezers.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NDI_Sensors05020-1024x640.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NDI_Sensors05020-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NDI_Sensors05020-768x480.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NDI_Sensors05020-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NDI_Sensors05020.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e5d1cbe e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"e5d1cbe\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-154af0d elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"154af0d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NDI_Sensors04967-1024x640.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3542\" alt=\"Gloved fingertips holding a miniature electromagnetic sensor coil with a fine twisted lead wire against a blue background.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NDI_Sensors04967-1024x640.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NDI_Sensors04967-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NDI_Sensors04967-768x480.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NDI_Sensors04967-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NDI_Sensors04967.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ca6972d e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"ca6972d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-135c914 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"135c914\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NDI_Sensors05009-1024x640.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3547\" alt=\"Gloved hand holding a small green circuit board sensor component with tweezers, showing surface-mount components and serial number markings.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NDI_Sensors05009-1024x640.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NDI_Sensors05009-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NDI_Sensors05009-768x480.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NDI_Sensors05009-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NDI_Sensors05009.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7046353 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"7046353\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-58e953a elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"58e953a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Are There Advantages of Using 5DOF Sensor Tracking?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-80d0a82 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"80d0a82\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In some applications, using 5DOF sensors for tracking can be sufficient because the practitioner doesn\u2019t need to see the roll orientation data. For example, if a customer has a symmetrical device, the roll information doesn\u2019t matter because it won\u2019t provide any additional tracking information about the tool. In this case, customers can use a 5DOF sensor with all the benefits required for precise tracking.<br \/><br \/><strong>The choice between 5DOF and 6DOF sensors is not merely technical; it&#8217;s a decision that shapes the landscape of medical interventions.<\/strong> With this comprehensive exploration, OEMs can approach sensor selection with a deeper understanding of each sensor type\u2019s capabilities.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Article Navigating 5DOF and 6DOF Sensors in Electromagnetic Image Guidance By: Team NDI Navigating 5DOF and 6DOF Sensors in Electromagnetic Image Guidance As a global leader in electromagnetic (EM) navigation, one of NDI\u2019s specialties is researching and designing 5 (Degrees of Freedom) DOF and 6DOF sensor technology used in EM tracking systems. The distinction between&hellip;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/de\/articles\/6dof-explained\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Weiterlesen &raquo;<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">5\/6DOF Sensors: Enhancing Medical Instrument Navigation<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3547,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"full-width","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"on","neve_meta_content_width":100,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[36],"class_list":["post-159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-article"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>5DOF vs 6DOF Sensors in EM Medical Navigation | NDI<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"5DOF vs 6DOF: what each sensor reports and when to choose one. See how NDI&#039;s Aurora and 3D Guidance EM sensors support OEM medical device integration.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/de\/articles\/6dof-explained\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"de_DE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5DOF vs 6DOF Sensors in EM Medical Navigation | NDI\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"5DOF vs 6DOF: what each sensor reports and when to choose one. See how NDI&#039;s Aurora and 3D Guidance EM sensors support OEM medical device integration.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/de\/articles\/6dof-explained\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NDI\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-06-17T13:59:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-12T14:59:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ndigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NDI_Sensors05009.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Michael Denny\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ndimeasurement\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ndimeasurement\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Verfasst von\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Michael Denny\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Gesch\u00e4tzte Lesezeit\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 Minuten\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ndigital.com\\\/articles\\\/6dof-explained\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ndigital.com\\\/articles\\\/6dof-explained\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Michael Denny\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ndigital.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/16f08a64b138c7acd4d11a9fdabf95ba\"},\"headline\":\"5\\\/6DOF Sensors: Enhancing Medical Instrument Navigation\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-06-17T13:59:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-12T14:59:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ndigital.com\\\/articles\\\/6dof-explained\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":942,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ndigital.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ndigital.com\\\/articles\\\/6dof-explained\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ndigital.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/NDI_Sensors05009.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Article\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Articles\"],\"inLanguage\":\"de-DE\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ndigital.com\\\/articles\\\/6dof-explained\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ndigital.com\\\/articles\\\/6dof-explained\\\/\",\"name\":\"5DOF vs 6DOF Sensors in EM Medical Navigation | NDI\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ndigital.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ndigital.com\\\/articles\\\/6dof-explained\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ndigital.com\\\/articles\\\/6dof-explained\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ndigital.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/NDI_Sensors05009.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-06-17T13:59:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-12T14:59:47+00:00\",\"description\":\"5DOF vs 6DOF: what each sensor reports and when to choose one. 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