Recording Data with Movesense Sensors: Five Free Tools to Get You Started
Movesense sensors are powerful, versatile devices for capturing physiological and motion data in real time. Whether you’re measuring ECG, recording IMU signals, or collecting HRV data, Movesense provides a set of free tools that make data recording easy and flexible for developers, researchers, and innovators.
Here is an overview of our current toolkit: Five options for different situations, all free to use—and several fully open-source—to help you start collecting high-quality Movesense data right away.
1. Movesense Showcase App
Platforms: iOS (recommended), Android
Data types: Heart rate, R–R intervals, single channel ECG, IMU (acceleration, angular velocity, magnetic field)
Operating mode: Live streaming
Export formats: CSV, JSON
Source code: Open source
The Movesense Showcase app is the simplest way to stream and record data from Movesense sensors. With live visualizations and easy export, it is ideal for testing, demos, quick data collection and fast prototyping—no coding required. The iOS version is more polished, but the Android version works well for general usage. The app is the primary tool to update the sensor firmware. With its open source code, it also serves as a starting point for developing new Movesense compatible apps for your own use cases.
2. Movesense Python Client (GATT SensorData Protocol)
Platforms: Windows, MacOS, Linux
Repository: https://bitbucket.org/movesense/movesense-device-lib/src/master/samples/gatt_sensordata_app/
Requires: Python 3.x, Sensor firmware 2.3.0 or later (includes GSP)
Operating mode: Live streaming
Source code: Open source
The Movesense Python client is a flexible tool for developers who want to automate or customize data collection. It uses the GATT SensorData Protocol (GSP) for Bluetooth streaming and supports all physiological and motion data available on the sensor. The app parses the sensor’s binary data into CSV, including parsing examples for IMU9 and ECG. Other data can be parsed by copying these examples. This is a perfect solution for analysis scripts, data pipelines, and research applications.
3. Movesense ECG Recorder App
Platforms: iOS and Android
Data types: Single-channel ECG
Export formats: CSV, PDF, and for Movesense MD: EDF+
Operating mode: Live streaming
For users focused on ECG, the Movesense ECG Recorder app provides a live ECG view and one-click recording workflow. Together with the Movesense MD sensor, it is certified as a class IIa medical device (EU MDR) and is therefore particularly useful in clinical or research workflows. Note: this app does not record IMU data.
4. Python Datalogger Tool for Movesense Flash
Platforms: Windows, MacOS, Linux
Repository: https://bitbucket.org/movesense/python-datalogger-tool/src/master/
Requires: Python 3.x, Sensor firmware 2.3.0 or later (includes GSP)
Operating mode: Standalone recording
Source code: Open source
The Python Datalogger tool is designed specifically for Movesense Flash, enabling high-capacity offline data logging. It works with other sensor models too, but their memory capacity is limited for raw data recording. With this tool, you can configure, start and stop offline data logging, retrieve stored files, and automate workflows in Python. It is ideal for standalone long-term monitoring, managing multiple sensors, sports sessions, field studies, and scenarios where live Bluetooth streaming and carrying a mobile phone are not practical. Read more on this news article. An exe file with a graphical user interface of the Python tool is available on Bitbucket Downloads.
5. Movesense Datalogger Sample App (Android)
Platform: Android Download APK
Use case: Simple configuration and control of Movesense Flash offline logging
Operating mode: Standalone recording
Source code: Open source
This Android sample app offers a simple interface for managing Movesense Flash’s built-in datalogger: starting and stopping recordings, selecting parameters to store, and retrieving recorded files. It’s a practical mobile alternative for users who don’t need full Python automation. The app uses pre-set sampling rates for recorded data, but these can be modified in the open source code if needed. This is also a useful tool for standalone recording of HR/RR data with other Movesense sensors that have a smaller memory capacity than the Movesense Flash.
Choose the Tool That Fits Your Workflow
Whether you’re a researcher collecting IMU data, a clinician recording ECG, or a developer building a new motion-analysis application, or just interested in experimenting with raw, unfiltered wearable sensor data, Movesense provides a robust set of free, flexible tools:
Showcase app → Fast testing and CSV/JSON recording
Python client → Programmable Bluetooth streaming
ECG Recorder app → Clinical ECG workflows
Python Datalogger → High-capacity offline logging with Movesense Flash
Android Datalogger app → Easy mobile control of Movesense Flash
All tools are completely free to use, and most are open source, giving you the freedom to expand and customize them for your specific needs.
