[recipe19]

The reason Origin uses tape is to maintain precise, absolute registration over large distances - so that you can for example machine a pattern the size of a kitchen table.

I am very skeptical you can have that level of registration with mouse-style sensors that can only measure relative motion. I might be wrong, but it seems unlikely.

[namibj]

Yeah mouse sensors actively throttle update frequency at slow speed to mitigate drift, as they appear to suffer pretty much random walk steps of sort each time they generate an update. Exceptions are probably limited to zero-motion deltas.

[nullc]

Mouse sensors also only output x/y displacements, not rotations-- even though their mechanism of operation would allow it. I assume that's why this device uses four of them.

There are inexpensive mouse sensors which are made for long distances for use on drones. Sadly they're also still limited to x/y... might be useful for compass to have some upward facing sensors to track the ceiling, but maybe losing track isn't that big of an issue in practice.

[shaftway]

The Origin also talks about repeatability. They sell a fixture that has an image of the tape fixed along with positive stops. The idea is that you can batch out parts quickly by setting up a workspace and swapping parts in. No idea if these sensors would be able to do something similar.