Capturing and Visualising Playground Games and Performance: A Wii and Kinect based motion capture system

In this paper we present the design and development of an interactive application which uses open source software (Processing, libfreenect, DarwiinRemote, OSC) and hacked games hardware (both the Microsoft Kinect sensor and Nintendo Wiimotes) to create a low-cost markerless motion tracking system that allows the recording, playback, visualisation and analysis of movement in 3D, using children’s clapping games as an example. This fully-functional proof of concept provides researchers in the arts and humanities with a new and innovative way of visualising, analysing and archiving gesture and movement such as clapping games, and opens up possibilities for other applications in movement, music and the performing arts.