Motion

GPS-enabled tracking collars allow scientists to learn a lot about wild animals, but the devices do have one major drawback – limited battery life. A new tracker gets around that limitation, as it's continuously powered by the animal's movements.

Typically, motion capture systems are confined to one studio containing multiple cameras, and they require subjects to wear sensor-equipped body suits. A new setup, however, is based around a single chest-mounted camera.

Scientists at the University of Bath have come up with a simpler method of motion capture, developing a computer model that can digitize dogs without the need for a motion capture suit and a suite of surrounding cameras.

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a computer vision system that identifies and tracks gym exercises.

​Currently, if you're trying to digitally track someone's movements, a depth-sensing camera such as the Microsoft Kinect is one of the best ways to go. Researchers are developing a potentially better system, however, which involves attaching cheap sensors to the person's clothing.

​​Many visions of our self-driving future entail car cabins designed for passengers to relax, read and enjoy on-screen entertainment, but what will this mean for the prevalence of motion sickness?

​Although gazing at computer models of processes that we're studying can certainly be helpful, there's often just no substitute for getting your hands on an actual physical object. Realizing that, an MIT team has developed a system that creates 3D-printed "motion sculptures" based on 2D videos.

If you kick a ball on the ground, it will roll away from you – that’s pretty basic science. But mathematicians have found that a quantum ball would roll toward your foot instead. When a force is applied to them, quantum particles can move in the opposite direction, in an effect known as “backflow.”

No sport on the planet is probably more focused on getting the slightest competitive edge than professional cycling. While some methods are illegal, using technology to improve training and reduce injuries is not. That's where Leomo and its TYPE-R motion-measurement tool comes in.

The cumbersome, expensive process of motion capture might soon be a thing of the past. Danish startup Rokoko has developed the Smartsuit Pro, a mocap suit that works without wires or cameras, and instead relies on sensors and a Wi-Fi network to record or stream motion to a character in real time.

​Over the years, we've seen a number of robots inspired by the animals kingdom. Inspired by the movement of snakes, an Israeli research team has now developed a bot that's said to be the first in the world to produce pure wave motion using a single motor.

A half hour of jogging or a day of regular movement is enough to capture three hours of energy to transfer into your devices using a new wearable.