Visualizing Movement
Data streamed from wearable sensors on the limbs of dancers is used to control the graphics projected on the screen behind them.
Art Class Collaborates with Student Choreographers
Professor Insley’s Introduction to Programming in Art and Design class teamed up with student choreographers advised by NIU School of Theater and Dance Professor Marc Macaranas. Four dancers each wear a motion sensor on each of their wrists and ankles. Each sensor streams accelleration and orientation information via Bluetooth to a Raspberry Pi Zero mini computer, which is also attached to the dancer. The Pi Zeros combine the data from the four sensors, and broadcast it as a single data stream over Wifi. On the other end an application written in Processing receives the streams from the four dancers, and makes the data available for controlling the graphics. The project was featured in the Student Choreographic Showcase on Saturday, May 7, 2022.