A typical motion capture suit uses a multiplexer as a data hub between its constituent nodes. Our smartphone equivalent substitutes the concept of a multiplexer for a cloud server. Each device uploads its motion recording in real-time to a web service for server-side synchronization and storage. The merged result is directed back to every smartphone in the network.
This paper presents two studies that demonstrate the frame- work’s functionality. In the first study, three smartphones are interconnected to form an upper body motion capture sleeve. The devices are strapped to a motion performer’s arm, forearm and hand to demonstrate, empirically, that smartphones can record the articulated movement of a hand wave gesture. In the second study, two smartphones are interconnected to measure activity over extended periods of time. The aim of this study is to amalgamate motion data, from two separate users, in one centralized repository and compute differences between sedentary and active behaviour.