Inside the MPI Motion Capture Lab: advancing research on human language and communication

Equipped with 14 Valkyrie and 4 Vero cameras from Vicon, the lab captures high-resolution data on full-body, face and hand motion with exceptional precision. This enables detailed analysis of visual communication across cultures and languages, including gesture, sign language and other non-verbal forms.
 

Digital humans
The captured movements are rendered as lifelike avatars, which can be tested in controlled virtual reality environments. This setup supports research across multiple domains - from language processing and cognitive science to the development of AI-powered virtual agents capable of understanding and reproducing human communication.
“Understanding how we use our bodies—hands, faces, and posture—to express meaning is essential to uncovering how language works across modalities,” says Prof. Asli Özyürek, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics. “Our motion capture technology allows us to study these behaviors with an unprecedented level of detail, helping us answer fundamental questions about the nature of communication.”

This video offers insight into how researchers are using technology to bridge linguistics, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence. Watch the video to learn how motion capture is transforming the study of human communication.