Digitas to Open Movement Analysis Lab in New York

Publicis-owned branding agency Digitas has teamed up with New York University's Movement Lab to open a 3D 'motion capture' unit in its Digitas Lab in NYC, through which the agency will research and develop new apps for digital marketing and advertising.

The NYU Movement Lab studies and analyzes all forms of human movement, and has developed a method which uses motion capture, pattern recognition and 'intrinsic biometrics' techniques to identify and compare the body language of different speakers.

These techniques will be built into the Digitas Lab, which provides 'a physical space for clients and teams to test interactive experiences'. Potential marketing applications for 3D motion capture technology could include the creation of live-action experiences for sports and entertainment fans; new types of 'deep content' web search experiences; and in-store body-language kiosk applications.

Motion capture specialist Chris Bregler (pictured), the Director of the NYU Movement Lab, who will design the new facility, says the partnership will allow the Lab to 'shine a bright light' on motion capture technology and its potential to enrich customer experiences.

Colin Kinsella, CEO, Digitas North America, adds: 'The ability to incubate new, content-rich brand-related projects using 3D motion capture technology opens up a whole new lane of innovation that has, until now, only scratched the surface. We're thrilled to collaborate with the NYU Movement Lab, and having them on premises is an incredible opportunity for our teams.'

Web sites: www.publicisgroupe.com , www.digitas.com and www.movement.nyu.edu .