As we’ve seen before with Unreal Engine’s MetaHuman Creator app, the future of motion capture technology is quickly veering away from expensive tech-filled production studios and into the living rooms of our homes thanks to some groundbreaking new tech.
And similar to Unreal Engine’s tool, Sony Electronics has been hard at work as well developing their own mobile motion capture system “mocopi,” which was just announced to launch for U.S. markets.
But what is this new smartphone-powered full-body motion tracking system and how does it work?
Let’s take a look at Sony’s mocopi and how you can use its six small sensors to capture your own motion data to put your avatars in motion or, even better, send that motion data to your third-party software of choice for creating your own animations and videos.
Sony mocopi Mobile Motion Capture System
Designed to be synchronized with a dedicated smartphone app available for iOS and Android, Sony’s new full-body motion tracking system gives creators a new and innovative way to interact within virtual reality.
The technology is powered by six compact and lightweight sensors which are set to be easy to wear, plus nicely color coded too to let users know where they should place them on their head, hip, ankles, and wrists to record the motion points for their projects.
Once synced to the smartphone app, users can create avatar videos based on these recordings. The app promises to have plenty of pre-installed avatars to choose from, but users will also be able to create and upload their own, as well as of course send their motion data to any other platforms or apps which they might desire.
You can find out more about the whole process here on Sony’s site.
Credit: Sony
The Future of Motion Capture
What’s interesting about this new motion capture system from Sony though is what it represents for the future of motion capture technology in general. As we’ve seen with Unreal Engine and other companies, the industry is going through a rapid shift.
Traditionally speaking, full-body motion capture systems often required dedicated studios and a team of trained operators. Now, mocopi and its unique algorithm are at work through the app to provide an accurate motion measurement with only a few sensors.
This entirely new process can be quite helpful for unlocking virtual reality and other animation possibilities for all types of creators, animators, and filmmakers without requiring thousands of dollars and large facility resources.
It’s worth noting, too, that Sony has expanded its number of partners that develop services linked to mocopi as well as put together an SDK for the major 3D development software companies such as Unity, MotionBuilder, and the Unreal Engine to loop in mocopi to their own apps and workflows.
The sensors for mocopiCredit: Sony
Price and Availability
With the announcement of mocopi coming to the U.S. market, interested creators can now pre-order the mocopi system now with an estimated delivery of mid-July, 2023.
- 3D motion capture with only six comfortable, light-weight sensors
- Full-body tracking system
- Run from a compatible smartphone
Price: $449.00
How do you feel about Sony’s mocopi system and the future of motion capture? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
