Sensemble: A Wireless, Compact, Multi-User Sensor System for Interactive Dance

We describe the design of a system of compact, wireless sensor modules meant to capture expressive motion when worn at the wrists and ankles of a dancer. The sensors form a high-speed RF network geared toward real-time data acquisition from multiple devices simultaneously, enabling a small dance ensemble to become a collective interface for music control. Each sensor node includes a 6-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) comprised of three orthogonal gyroscopes and accelerometers in order to capture local dynamics, as well as a capacitive sensor to measure close range node-to-node proximity. The nodes may also be augmented with other digital or analog sensors. This paper describes application goals, presents the prototype hardware design, introduces concepts for feature extraction and interpretation, and discusses early test results.