zactrack in Eight Spaces at ISE – A Technical Deep Dive
- Feb 26
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 3
At ISE 2026, the zactrack team succesfully deployed 8 tracking systems integrated with industry-leading brands. This enabled visitors to experience live tracking in different real-world scenarios – discovering how to control lighting, audio, video, and PTZ-cameras.
Under the motto Tracking the Scene, zactrack technology appeared across eight different locations at ISE 2026, demonstrating how spatial tracking can operate as a shared, technical layer across multiple disciplines rather than a standalone effect system.
Instead of concentrating activity within a single booth, zactrack systems were integrated directly into different exhibition spaces, showcasing various applications of real-time positioning data:
Area Four Industries Italia – with zactrack SMART controlling automated lighting on a moving truss
AV Stumpfl – with zactrack PRO enabling video tracking and media interaction
d&b audiotechnik – with zactrack PRO integrated with Soundscape for spatial audio alongside lighting control
HARMAN – Flux:: Immersive combined with zactrack SMART for synchronised audio and lighting interaction
L-Acoustics – with zactrack SMART connected to the L-ISA immersive audio platform
Lawo – with zactrack mini used for audio control workflows
Telycam – with zactrack mini providing positional data for PTZ camera automation
Engineering Before Exhibition: Planning the Integrations
The process began weeks ahead of ISE with technical alignment between zactrack engineers and the collaborating brands. Each collaboration involved direct exchanges with technical and development teams responsible for planning the show-floor setups. These early discussions focused less on product placement and more on system architecture: understanding signal paths, control protocols, and the intended interaction between tracking data and each partner’s technology stack.
Based on integration complexity, required tracker count, and tracked area size, the appropriate tracking platform was selected for each location – resulting in 3x zactrack mini systems, 3x SMART systems and 2x PRO systems.
Three systems were supplied and prepared in advance of the exhibition setup period. The remaining five systems were deployed on-site during the primary setup window on Sunday and Monday before the show.
Monday before showday 1 – 8 running zactrack systems
For systems delivered in advance, installation began with mounting the Anchor hardware at the previously defined positions. Planning Anchor locations ahead of time significantly reduced setup time during the limited access window on site.
Following the planned schedule, deployment began before noon on Sunday, with all five systems completed and fully operational by the afternoon. The remaining three systems were completed on Monday, including the mini system installed at zactrack’s meeting point in the Innovation Park.
Area Four Industries Italia
At the Area Four Industries Italia booth, zactrack enabled position-based lighting control within a moving truss setup. Tracking data triggered lighting actions and cues, allowing visitors’ movement to directly influence the system. As the truss travelled up and down, four MAC One fixtures rigged to it accurately followed the person wearing a disco helmet fitted with a zactrack Tracker.
A MAC running QLab together with a Stream Deck was used to trigger cues and manage interactions within the installation. A defined “rest zone” prevented constant lighting activity – when visitors picked up the disco helmet equipped with a Tracker, the lighting system activated automatically.
Technical details:
zactrack SMART system
Lighting control via sACN
Cue triggering using QLab (Mac + Stream Deck)
PSN input from an ETC Eos desk
4 × MAC One fixtures on a moving truss
2 × Prolights Astra Hybrid 330 used as additional stationary followspots
AV Stumpfl (PIXERA)
At the AV Stumpfl booth, a zactrack PRO system was integrated with the PIXERA media server to demonstrate position-based video interaction.
The PIXERA team developed an interactive experience: Using PIXERA, a Pac-Man–inspired game visualised the booth from a bird’s-eye perspective on the media screens. Virtual “hedroids” moved through the digital scene while members of the AV Stumpfl sales team, equipped with zactrack trackers, appeared as live-controlled elements within the visualisation.
By intersecting with the hedroids, participants collected points throughout the day, turning tracking data into an interactive media control input. At the end of each day, the highest score was awarded.
Technical details:
zactrack PRO system with 30 active Trackers
PSN output only, transmitting positional data directly to the PIXERA media server
10 Anchors installed at defined positions in the rig
d&b audiotechnik
At the d&b audiotechnik demo room, zactrack tracking data was integrated with the Soundscape system to create directional hearing linked to presenter's position. The stage featured two presenters positioned on opposite sides, both equipped with Trackers.
As presenters moved and spoke from either side of the stage, audio localisation followed their position, allowing visitors to perceive sound coming directly from the active speaker. Lighting responded accordingly, reinforcing spatial orientation between audio and visual focus.
Technical details:
zactrack PRO system
Integration with d&b Soundscape for spatial audio control via OSC
grandMA3 lighting system used for lighting integration
Anchors mounted in the rig
Harman
At the HARMAN demo room, zactrack tracking data was integrated with FLUX:: Immersive to synchronise spatial audio and lighting following a presenter on stage. As the speaker moved, both sound localisation and lighting adjusted in real time, maintaining focus on the active position.
Technical details:
zactrack SMART system
Integration with FLUX:: Immersive
OSC communication for positional data
Absolute Meters used for spatial audio control
grandMA3 lighting system used for lighting integration with Martin MAC Viper XIP fixtures
L-Acoustics
At the L-Acoustics demo room, a zactrack SMART system enabled position-based control for immersive audio with L-ISA and synchronised lighting within a dynamic presentation setup. The venue featured a central stage surrounded by the audience, with two walkways leading toward it. Two presenters operated from opposite sides, walking toward the stage during presentations while sound and lighting followed the active speaker. This created a directional listening experience and a continuously changing presentation flow.
The system was deployed on Sunday afternoon together with the Deltalive team, with Anchors mounted using an on-site scissor lift to ensure full coverage of the space.
Technical details:
zactrack SMART system
OSC connection from zactrack to the L-ISA server
ChamSys lighting console on site
3 auto-function zones implemented to simplify cue triggering within the lighting
Primarily Robe LEDBeam 150 fixtures, supplemented by Martin MAC One units
4 Anchors mounted on truss structures and 4 Anchors mounted on booth legs at approx. 3 m height
Anchors connected via Luminex PoE switch (separate VLAN)
Lawo
At the Lawo booth, a zactrack mini system was integrated with the Lawo mc² range of mixing consoles, demonstrating how real-time position data can extend audio control workflows.
Tracking data was transmitted to the console using ADM-OSC, enabling spatial information to be used as an additional control parameter within the mixing environment.
Technical details:
· zactrack mini system
· Position data communicated to Lawo mc² consoles via ADM-OSC
· 4 Anchors mounted on the booth roof structure
Telycam
At the Telycam booth, a zactrack mini system provided positional data for automated PTZ camera control. Visitors could pick up a tracker and freely move within the demonstration area while PSN data was sent directly to a Telycam camera, allowing the camera to automatically follow their movement.
A display screen showed the live camera feed, making the tracking response immediately visible and demonstrating position-based camera automation in real time.
Technical details:
· zactrack mini system
· positional data sent directly to the Telycam camera
· 4 Anchors mounted on black tripods
zactrack meeting point
At the zactrack meeting point in the Innovation Park, a zactrack mini system demonstrated position-based camera tracking in a setup similar to the Telycam installation. Visitors could carry a Tracker and move freely within the space while a Canon camera automatically followed their position. The live camera feed was displayed on a large TV screen, allowing visitors to immediately observe the tracking response in real time.
Technical details:
zactrack mini system
PSN position data controlling Canon camera movement
5 Anchors mounted on black tripods
