⚠️ Open-Motion is for Research Use Only — not for use in diagnostic procedures.
Quick Start · Open-Motion

Open-Motion Quick Start

Optical blood-flow monitoring for human and animal research. Up and running in minutes.

~10 min Driver → First Scan
2 Paths App or Firmware
BFI + BVI Two Indices, 0–10

Welcome to Open-Motion

Open-Motion is Openwater's optical monitoring system — a console, sensor modules, and software that measure relative changes in blood flow and blood volume for research. This page is the single source of truth for getting started. READMEs and the device user manual link here.

On this page

  1. Choose your path
  2. Path A · Run the App (bench scan in 10 min)
  3. Path B · Build the Console Firmware
  4. Interpreting BFI & BVI
  5. Make your first contribution
  6. Get help

Choose Your Path

Two ways in. Pick whichever matches what you're trying to do today.

🖥️

Path A · Run the App

Install the USB driver and BloodFlow app on Windows. Best for researchers running scans, or Python contributors using OpenMOTION-Pylib.

Start with the App →
🔌

Path B · Build the Firmware

Compile and flash the console firmware. Best for embedded contributors — no hardware required to build.

Start with Firmware →

Path A · Run the BloodFlow App

Driver → app → first scan → visualize.

Download the software

There are two pieces: the USB driver and the BloodFlow application. Both ship on your flash drive — or grab them from GitHub:

ow-bloodflow-app Releases →
⚠️ Don't run from the flash drive. Copy both zips to your local computer first, then unzip.

Install the USB driver

  1. Open OpenMotionDriver-x64.
  2. If Windows Defender SmartScreen warns you, click More Info → Run Anyway.
  3. Follow the on-screen installer.

Launch the application

  1. Unzip the application package.
  2. Double-click OpenWaterApp.exe.
  3. If the device doesn't connect, restart the computer and try again.
✅ Healthy state: Two green Sensor Module indicators and one green Console light.

Run your first scan

  1. Enter Subject ID and notes; pick a default data directory.
  2. Pick Left and Right sensor module configurations.
  3. Confirm Console status shows 5× green.
  4. Set the scan duration and click Start Scan.

Visualize

  1. Open the Data Analysis view; select the correct Data Directory.
  2. Pick the scan from the dropdown.
  3. Click Visualize BFI/BVI or Visualize Contrast/Mean.

(Optional) Python: OpenMOTION-Pylib

Prefer scripting? Use the Python library directly.

git clone https://github.com/OpenwaterHealth/OpenMOTION-Pylib.git cd OpenMOTION-Pylib python -m venv .venv # macOS/Linux: source .venv/bin/activate # Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate pip install -e . python -c "import openmotion; print(openmotion.__version__)"

Then run on a sample speckle capture (Git LFS):

git lfs install git clone https://github.com/OpenwaterHealth/openmotion-sample-capture # load a frame, plot, and browse examples/

Path B · Build the Console Firmware

Toolchain → build → flash → smoke test. No hardware needed to build.

Install the ARM GCC toolchain + flasher

  1. Install ARM GCC for your OS.
  2. Install the flashing utility recommended in the repo README (typically STM32CubeProgrammer or OpenOCD).

Clone the firmware repository

git clone https://github.com/OpenwaterHealth/openmotion-console-v2.git cd openmotion-console-v2
openmotion-console-v2 →

Build the firmware (no hardware needed)

Follow the build steps in the repo README. The artifact is the console firmware binary.

Flash + serial smoke test

  1. Flash the Console board with your binary.
  2. Open a USB serial console (115200 baud unless README says otherwise).
  3. Send version and confirm the firmware responds.
✅ If the board replies with a version string, you're ready to start tweaking firmware.

Interpreting BFI & BVI

Two indices, both scaled 0–10, derived from speckle contrast and intensity.

What the numbers mean

BFI = 10 × (1 − (C(t) − C_min) / (C_max − C_min)) BVI = 10 × (1 − (I(t) − I_min) / (I_max − I_min))
⚠️ Sanity check: If BVI > 0.9, suspect poor sensor contact before interpreting the trace.

Make Your First Contribution

Fork → branch → commit → PR → CLA → merge. Reviews within 48 hours.

Pick a small, shippable change

git checkout -b fix/short-description # make changes git add . git commit -m "Docs: clarify driver install warning" git push origin fix/short-description # then open a PR on GitHub
CLA: First PR triggers an automated CLA signature. Takes under 2 minutes.
Browse Good First Issues →

Get Help

The fastest path to unstuck.

💬

Discord (fastest)

Real-time help from the community in #help.

Join Discord
🗣️

GitHub Discussions

Best for design questions and shared answers.

Open-Motion Discussions
📧

Email the team

For anything that doesn't fit a public channel.

community@openwater.health

Ready to ship your first PR?

Browse open issues, pick one, and we'll review within 48 hours.

View on GitHub Good First Issues Open-LIFU Quick Start