Enhancing mobile brain and body imaging: Open-source solutions for real-world research applications

Mobile brain and body imaging (MoBI) requires monitoring human behavior in real-world settings using unobtrusive, portable hardware. To address multi-sensor signal streaming and time-synchronized recording on smartphones, we previously developed the open-source Android apps Senda and Recorda. Senda converts smartphone sensor signals into lab streaming layer (LSL) streams, while Recorda time-synchronizes and records them, bringing desktop LabRecorder functionality to android. Here, we report recent framework improvements. The ecosystem now integrates body-worn inertial measurement units (IMUs), GPS location streaming, and Google MediaPipe pose landmark motion capture. Furthermore, we improved usability by introducing real-time stream integrity feedback and Viewa, a new app for visualizing LSL streams. Two validation studies demonstrate reliable performance, showing high correlations between app-derived sensor data and reference sensors. These updates significantly expand research capabilities, seamlessly extending the LSL standard out of the traditional lab and into real-world scenarios.