Communications of the ACM
Research Has All the Right Moves
Researchers at Newcastle University have developed a motion-capture device that makes it easier to identify the different aspects of movement or sequences. Users sketch the movement with a mouse or pen, and the prototype tool searches for and retrieves similar sequences in minutes.
Searching for sequences is difficult because motion-capture tools produce so much data. "Capturing human movement data theoretically interests a variety of people, but its actual usefulness depends on how effectively data retrieval and analysis can be performed," says Sally Jane Norman, director of the Culture Lab at Newcastle. "This development opens up far more cross-sector opportunities, making human motion capture a rich area of interdisciplinary investigation 20 years after the animation industry first teamed up with biomechanics experts."
Norman says the research should interest the biomedical sector, which monitors movement for diagnostic or corrective purposes. The film and gaming industries also have come to rely more on motion-capture libraries. The research also has potential applications for education, advertising, training manuals, and simulators.
From Newcastle University
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