---
title: "New Motion Capture Tech Could Digitize Your Dog Into Video Games"
description: "New animation tech can create a virtual represenation of a dog after filming it with a single camera, no motion capture suit needed."
date: "2020-06-16"
modified: "2020-06-16"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/motion-capture-tech-digitize-dog-video-games"
categories:
  - "Science & Energy"
tags:
  - "cgi"
  - "dogs"
  - "motion capture"
  - "the digest"
---

# New Motion Capture Tech Could Digitize Your Dog Into Video Games

![New animation tech can create a virtual represenation of a dog after filming it with a single camera, no motion capture suit needed.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/motion-capture-tech-digitize-dog-video-games.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: University of Bath\</em\>*

## Dog Tracking

A new motion capture system can create digital avatars of dogs after filming them with a single camera.

Typically, digitizing a dog is like digitizing a person: it involves multiple cameras and a canine version of those ball-coated [motion capture suits](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/cgi-character-real-time>) — but a team of computer scientists at the University of Bath did away with all that, [according to research](<https://github.com/CAMERA-Bath/RGBD-Dog>) shared on the team's GitHub. It's an unusual development, but one that could vastly improve fields ranging from animation to veterinary care.

## Virtual Runway

The team started with the usual getup: multiple cameras and the motion capture suit. After training a computer model on the gait and poses of 14 dog breeds, however, all the extra hardware became unnecessary. Now, a single RGBD camera — which also records how distant objects are **—** is enough for the model to accurately detect and predict a dog's movements and recreate them virtually.

"For the entertainment industry, our research can help produce more authentic movement of virtual animals in films and video games," Bath researcher Sinéad Kearney [said in a press release](<https://www.bath.ac.uk/announcements/digitise-your-dog-into-a-computer-game/>). "Dog owners could also use it to make a 3D digital representation of their pet on their computer, which is a lot of fun!"

## Time Capsule

Fun and games aside, the technology could also be a valuable tool for veterinarians who are tracking a dog's health.

"This technology allows us to study the movement of animals," Kearney added, "which is useful for applications such as detecting lameness in a dog and measuring its recovery over time."

**READ MORE:** [Digitise your dog into a computer game](<https://www.bath.ac.uk/announcements/digitise-your-dog-into-a-computer-game/>) \[University of Bath\]

**More on motion capture:** *[Amazing Tech Turns You Into a CGI Character in Real Time](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/cgi-character-real-time>)*

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)