Motion Tracking Device

Device 4 – Motion tracking devices

Purpose: Motion tracking devices have a lot of different purposes, some of the purposes can involve opening and closing doors in an automated manner or they can collect data to see the traffic where the device has been mounted. They can also be used in entertainment where the user's movement is recorded and passed onto the device to display movement on screen, e.g., when waving your hand, the character on screen will also wave your hand. Motion tracking can also be used in films or games for CGI purposes. The main purpose of the motion tracking device is improving efficiency and effectiveness, this is because motion tracking devices allow for automated doors as well as data collection of movement though certain areas which is more accurate without human risk being involved making data more accurate and effective. Motion tracking devices can also increase experience and satisfaction of users by solving new and existing problems using technology this is because motion tracking can be used in different elements, as an example, motion tracking devices remove the need to animate certain actions by hand, before all animation in games would be either hand drawn or basic animation would be done to reassemble the movement however in the modern gaming industry, the motion tracking devices can be used in order to get the perfect and realistic movement of all muscles on the human body without needing to do any animation that usually would be very time consuming and potentially expensive. In addition, this allows the motion tracking devices to become extremely usable as they significantly increase the productivity within the company.

Applications: Motion tracking devices can be used in various places such as retail and commerce as a motion detection for automatic doors or used at home within phones or motion tracking cameras to detect movement, capture it and display it on screen if playing a game. Motion tracking can be used mainly in an industry environment, more specifically the gaming industry as it will allow the businesses within the industry to animate realistic motion and import it into a game to have a realistic and immersive experience when playing the game. The motion tracking devices would also have applications in retail in commerce as it will allow to detect any movement and control certain areas of the store, this could be listing all from opening automated doors, to opening gates as well as controlling lightning in rooms when a person walks in, this could also have the same impact in an industry sector by turning lights on and off in certain parts of the area. Another application of a motion tracking device could be health and well-being, the sensor could be placed in a specific manner on exercise machines which will be able to track certain data such as repetitions, speed etc.

Principles: A phone could be used as a motion sensor, the sensor in the phone will be able to detect movement in the device and trigger a similar action that is connected to the motion e.g., if playing a virtual reality game, if the phone is moved to the right, the character will move to the right etc. The phone would be connected though the internet to the device receiving the data, that data will then be processed and outputted as a gesture by the user on the other side. Motion tracking devices also include always-on connectivity meaning that they will always monitor data from the physical world if power is available and connected to the device.

Characteristics: The motion tracking devices contain various different characteristics, certain positive certain negative as an example of a general characteristic would be the benefits that come with using a motion tracking device as an example, in manufacturing and industrial districts, the usage of motion tracking can optimize certain work as it can be used to detect motion and trigger an action such as opening doors that may increase the workflow and increase productivity gains. The motion tracking device provides a lot of benefits, one of these benefits is the accuracy and the low probability of human error present in the motion capture and data collection, another benefit would also be the expenses that are saved by using the motion capture device as no human is needed to collect or capture the motion meaning that the device is extremely cost effective. Another general characteristic could be that the devices are sustainable as they are reusable and don’t cause any harm to the environment, they actually provide greater sustainability and environmental protection in certain industries, as an example, in the animation industry, the motion capture can save a lot of paper as all of the animation captured would be added digitally meaning that no paper would be required to create an animation as the animations would use hundreds or even thousands of pieces of paper in order to create a 1hr animation.

There are also multiple technical characteristics such as the devices being location specific triggers as they can be used as sensors in a busy road to count the volume of traffic that passes through that road determining if the road may require maintenance or not, this is extremely useful as the sensor is extremely accurate and avoids the possibility of a human error. Another characteristic could be low mobility as they are technically tied to a specific location or placed on a person to be seen by the camera, meaning that it has a specific working range where the person would be scanned by the camera. The further away the camera, the worse detail of animation would be caught. Another technical characteristic could be the low power consumption as these motion trackers could be placed on a piece of road and track any cars coming through, this process usually takes weeks, which can be achieved by the low consumption by the devices when on and collecting important data.