Xsens MVN

MVN - Inertial Motion Capture

MVN (formerly Moven) is a full-body, camera-less inertial motion capture (MoCap) solution. It is flexible motion capture system that can be used indoors or outdoors (on-set). With the short turnaround times MVN is a cost effective system with clean and smooth data.

 

Xsens MVN - Inertial Motion Capture

Xsens MVN Motion Capture solution consists of inertial sensors attached to the body by a lycra suit (also available in straps). Xsens MVN gives you freedom of movement because MVN uses no cameras. It is a flexible and portable Motion Capture system that can be used indoors and outdoors, not only on-set in the studio but also outside. Xsens MVN requires minimal clean-up of captured data as there is no occlusion or marker swapping. The ease of use and short calibration time allows you to set up the system in less than 15 minutes.

MVN Studio shows a real-time visualization on screen. Xsens MVN produces clean and smooth data that saves up to 80% of post-processing time.

Our Motion Capture solution customers include Sony Pictures Imageworks, Double Negative, Daimler, Electronic Arts, Industrial Light & Magic, Daimler, INAIL, Ossur and others.

"The flexibility and short turnaround times of the MVN system is unparalleled. With the MVN system, Xsens is changing the rules of the motion capture game: we're saving time and money"
Ted Price, CEO of Insomniac Games

Motion Capture

Motion Capture (or MoCap) is a way to record human movement. The data can be used to animate digital characters in films, games, broadcasted animated stories, ads, virtual environments ea. to get realistic human movement. Motion Capture can also be used in medical and sports applications to analyze human movement and gait.

Product advantages Xsens inertial motion capture

  • Clean and smooth motion capture data
  • Real-time motion capture visualization
  • Unlimited capture volume
  • Short turnaround times
  • Can save up to 80% post-processing time
  • Short setup time (15 min.) with the quick setup sheet
  • Great ease of use
  • On-set and/or outside motion capture
  • Can easily be worn under clothing
  • Compatible with popular motion editors
  • Occlusion-free motion capture solution
  • Flexible solution

MVN motion capture suit

  • 6DOF tracking of the body
  • 17 MTx inertial trackers
  • Wireless operation for full freedom of movement
  • Comfortable lycra suit with embedded cabling
  • Extra prop (eg. Weapon, golfclub, racket) / backup sensor

MVN Straps (optional)

  • One size fits all
  • Wear over normal clothing
  • Hygienic & efficient for Inter-Subject transfer
  • Sturdy and lasting design

MVN Studio (software)

  • Easily record motion capture data
  • Advanced human body model provides output of 23 body segments
  • Export to popular motion capture file formats, such as .BVH and .FBX
  • Real-time visualization, playback and editing of motion capture data
  • Intuitive editing interface
  • Plug-in for seamless real-time integration with Autodesk MotionBuilder® (optional)
  • Plug-in for time synchronization and remote control (optinal)

Fidelity and Immunity

  • Highly accurate MEMS inertial sensors deliver incredibly smooth data
  • Use under any lighting condition inside or outside
  • Low sensitivity to EM-fields (Electromagnetic-fields)

Applications for the Xsens MVN motion capture system

  • 3D character animation (for game, film, TV, advertising)
  • Sports science, After Action Review
  • Rehabilitation, biomechanics research, human factors
  • Training and simulation
  • Live events
Leaflet
Download the MVN leaflet



Inertial Motion Capture - MVN (Moven)

MVN Straps

MVN MoCap Suit

Number of trackers

  

Full body configuration
Lower body configuration
Upper body configuration
Extra prop / backup sensor

17 MTx inertial trackers
7 MTx inertial trackers
11 MTx inertial trackers
1 MTx inertial tracker
   

Full body motion capture suit

  

Lightweight, revolutionary stretch fabric with cable guides and 2 fabric sensor pockets and 10 TPE Dryflex sensor holders.

Sizes:
S, M, L (standard), XL, XXL

  
   

Accessories (included)

  

2 gloves with tracker pocket
1 head band with tracker pocket
2 foot mounts

  
   

On body cabling

  

For data communication and power
Only 1 cable needed on each arm/leg, trackers daisy-chained
   

Power supply

  

Power/data control unit

2 Xbus Masters (XM)

Power (each XM)

  

- Battery (incl.)

8 AA NiMH rechargeables
(of which 4 spare)

- Power adapter (incl.)

EU/US/UK Power adapter
110-240VAC/12VDC 1A

- Input voltage range

4 - 14V

Operating time (typical)

 3 hours

Battery charger (incl.)

For 8 AA NiMH batteries
   

Communication

  

Interface

Wireless or high-speed RS-232/USB

Wireless range radius (typical)

  

- Outdoor

150 meters (492 ft.)

- Indoor open space

150 meters (492 ft.)

- Indoor office

50 meters (164 ft.)
   

Wireless receiver units

  

All configurations

2 Wireless Receivers (incl.)

RF technology

Bluetooth 2.0
(optimized, class 1)

Interface

USB 1.1 or 2.0
 		  

Physical

Dimensions

MTx inertial tracker

 38 x 53 x 21 mm (1.5” x 2.1” x 0.8”)
Xbus Master

100 x 150 x 40 mm (3.9” x 5.9” x 1.6”)

MVN suitcase

559 x 351 x 229 mm (22” x 13” x 9”)


Suitcase


Suitcase with wheels & extendable handle
Strong, durable & waterproof
Suitable as hand-luggage
MVN suitcase

Weight

MTx inertial tracker

30 g (1 oz.)

Xbus Master

200 g (0.4 lbs)

MVN Suit (excl. trackers)

360 g (0.80 lbs)

Total on-body system
(with batteries and cables)

1930 g (4.2 lbs)

Shipping weight (incl. suitcase)

11 kg (24 lbs)


Operation environment

20... +55 deg Celcius, non-wet

(ask for options for water-proof system)


Setup time

Less than 10 minutes

Performance

MTx inertial trackers (to MTx page)

  

3D orientation accuracy

 <0.5 deg1

Resolution

0.05 deg

Accelerometer range

± 180 m/s2 (18 g)

Gyroscope range

1200 deg/s
   

MVN human model

  
  • MVN uses a 23 segment biomechanical model with 22 joints
  • Each joint is specified by statistical parameters for 6DOF joint laxity. An advanced spine and shoulder model is used that computes the kinematics of the spine and shoulder blades

System calibration

  

Flexible calibration scheme with instant feedback regarding the expected accuracy. Calibration can be done without assistance from a second person.
   

Basic calibration
  • 10 seconds
  • Basic calibration needs only subject length and foot length

Advanced calibration
  • 10-30 seconds per additional step
  • Advanced subject specific calibration determines tracker alignment and/or subject specific dimensions
  • Calibration procedures for subjects with limited range of motion are possible
   
1 Static accuracy in homogenous magnetic field

MVN Fusion Engine

Output

Full kinematics of each segment (position, velocity, acceleration, orientation, angular velocity and angular acceleration)
 

Update rate
  • Internal update rates 120, 100, 60 Hz
  • Export frame rates 120, 100, 60, 50, 30, 25, 24 Hz

3D translation capture
  • Double integration of body segment accelerations allows for jumping/running (permanent floor contact is not needed)
  • ~2% error in traveled distance (without external aiding)
  • Advanced external contact model detects body world contacts to enable crawling, sitting, cartwheels etc.
  • Full control over external contact points
  • Seamless fusion with aiding technologies possible1

Props

Support for one to three props
 

Magnetic environment
  • Full immunity to temporary magnetic disturbances (~30 seconds)
  • Visual warning of disturbed environment

Local, permanent disturbances

High degree of immunity, performance will depend on motion and environment
 

Soft tissue artifacts

Minimized to ~2 degrees RMS using redundancy in measurement and biomechanical constraints
 

Multiple person motion capture

Up to four person motion capture on one PC
 
1 Some features are only available in SDK, ask for possibilities

MVN Studio

MVN Studio is included with your Xsens MVN order.

The MVN Software Development Kit (SDK) is optional.

MVN (Moven) Studio

MVN Studio Software

MVN Studio is a software application for motion capturing with the Moven suit. At the download section you will find a link for a demo of MVN Studio.

Functionality

  • Easy and quick calibration
  • Real-time preview of motion capture
  • Simultaneous recording/viewing
  • Replaying previously recorded motion data

Supported export formats

  • .BVH (Biovision Hierarchical data)
  • .FBX
  • .MVNX - MVN open XML format
    Output 3D position, 3D orientation, (optionally: 3D acceleration, 3D velocity, 3D angular rate, 3D angular acceleration)
  • .MPG and .AVI movie export

Optional streaming motion data

  • Streaming motion data on local area netwerk (UDP)
  • MotionBuilder compatible client plug-in available
  • Client network monitor support in Moven Studio

MVN StudioData Rate

  • 39 Mb/min @ 60 Hz
  • 66 Mb/min @ 100 Hz
  • 79 Mb/min @ 120 Hz

Recommended computer system

  • Operating system:
    Windows XP (SP2) or Windows Vista
  • Processor:
    Dual core e.g. Core2 or AMD X2 (min. Pentium 4 - 2.6 GHz)
  • Graphic card:
    Any graphic card with DirectX 9 hardware acceleration

Xsens MVN Motion Capture movies
ProductReel 2009
Xsens MVN Motion Capture


 EA Sports
Landon Donovan in Xsens MVN for FIFA Soccer 2010
Short demonstration
Including quick calibration


 Full calibration
T-pose and Hand touch
Product movie
What's in the suitcase
 Range, running outdoors
Up to 150 meter

White papers

Xsens MVN: Full 6DOF Human Motion Tracking Using Miniature Inertial Sensors

XSENS TECHNOLOGIES B.V., 2009
Daniel Roetenberg, Henk Luinge and Per Slycke		 PDF


Fusion motion capture: a prototype system using inertial measurement units and GPS for the biomechanical analysis of ski racing

SPORTS TECHNOLOGY 2008, NO. 1, PAGES 17–28
Matthew Brodie, Alan Walmsley and Wyatt Page		 PDF


I3VR technology, intuitive interactive immersive virtual reality

FACTORS & PARIS DESCARTES UNIVERSITY, UPRES ERGONOMICS, 2006
N.J. Delleman, E. den Dekker, T.K. Tan, PRESENTED AT IEA 2006, TNO HUMAN

> Introduction about the beginning of motion capture technology

 PDF
Leaflet
Download the MVN leaflet


Related Xsens Products

MotionBuilder

MVN Studio has a plug-in for easy and real-time integration with MotionBuilder. The plug-in is optional to purchase.

The 'net streamer' feature inside MVN Studio allows you to stream motion capture data via several protocols to different applications, e.g. Motionbuilder. Real-time pre-visualization will be available in a simple point-and-click environment. The plug-in also enables skeletal data to be transferred from multiple characters and layered in real-time via a live remote control interface to essentially use MotionBuilder as an animation-recording tool.

Autodesk MotionBuilder is a software program optimized for 3D animation and motion capture, which will allow true cinematic workflows. It supports the widest number of devices for input, including MVN. The logical ease of use and power of MotionBuilder is legendary, making nearly any adjustments to live capture or 3D animation possible. Since 3D animation and motion capture is all MotionBuilder does, it offers real-time mesh deformation with textures, lighting and effects from your motion capture data or live input.

The MotionBuilder native Autodesk FBX® file format allows you to easily transfer assets to and from Autodesk® 3ds Max® and Autodesk® Maya® software products, and any other content creation package that supports FBX—making it a complementary package that can enhance any new or existing production pipeline.

MVN Studio and MotionBuilder


Autodesk® MotionBuilder™ software is the foremost 3D character animation productivity suite for game, film, broadcast, and multimedia production. This award-winning software combines a unique real-time architecture, animation layering and Story Timeline non-linear editing environment with an intuitive workflow and tools that streamline the character animation pipeline. With a strong focus on workflow efficiency, Autodesk MotionBuilder enables traditional animators and technical directors alike to take on the most demanding, high-volume animation projects. The software, available for Windows® and Mac® operating systems, natively supports the platform-independent FBX 3D authoring and interchange format that allows MotionBuilder to integrate with any application in a production pipeline that supports FBX.

MVN SDK

The MVN Software Development Kit is optional. It gives the user advanced software functionalities.

Functionality
• Easy integration with custom application software
• Provides real-time orientation and position data of body segments using dynamic link library (C interface)
• Provides interfaces to calibration routines and character definition routines
• Handles pre-recorded MVN files for post-processing

Direct, real-time interface with one or more MVN systems:

MVN SDK
Leaflet
Download the MVN leaflet



MotionBuilder 2011