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Open-Motion Quick Start Guide

Optical blood-flow monitoring for human and animal research. Go from driver install to first scan in about ten minutes.

Investigational device — research use only

The Open-Motion platform is not yet cleared by the FDA and is intended for research purposes only. It is not for use in diagnostic procedures. Read the full safety and handling warnings, including the Class 3 laser hazard, before you build or operate any hardware.

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 place to start. READMEs and the device user manual link here.
~10 min Driver to first scan
2 paths App or firmware
BFI + BVI Two indices, scaled 0–10

Choose your path

  • Path A · Run the App

    Install the USB driver and BloodFlow app on Windows 11. 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 is required to build.

    Start with the firmware

Path A · Run the BloodFlow App

Driver, app, first scan, visualize.

1. Download the software

Platform update (October 2026)

Windows 11 is now the only supported Windows version for Open-Motion and Open-LIFU. Windows 10 lost Microsoft support in October 2025, so if your lab PC still runs it, plan an upgrade to Windows 11. Read the announcement.

There are two pieces: the USB driver and the BloodFlow application. Both ship on your flash drive, or you can get them from GitHub:

openmotion-bloodflow-app releases

Don't run from the flash drive

Copy both zips to your local computer first, then unzip.

2. Install the USB driver

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

3. Launch the application

  1. Unzip the application package.
  2. Double-click OpenWaterApp.exe.
  3. If the device does not connect, restart the computer and try again.

Healthy state

Two green Sensor Module indicators and one green Console light.

4. Run your first scan

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

5. Visualize

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

6. (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/

For the host SDK and software architecture, see Software Development.

Path B · Build the console firmware

Toolchain, build, flash, smoke test. No hardware is needed to build.

1. Install the ARM GCC toolchain and a flasher

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

2. Clone the firmware repository

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

openmotion-console-v2 repository

3. Build the firmware

Follow the build steps in the repository README. The artifact is the console firmware binary. No hardware is needed for this step.

4. Flash and run a serial smoke test

  1. Flash the Console board with your binary.
  2. Open a USB serial console (115200 baud unless the README says otherwise).
  3. Send version and confirm the firmware responds.

Success

If the board replies with a version string, you are ready to start tweaking firmware.

Interpreting BFI and BVI

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

  • BFI (Blood Flow Index) is derived from speckle contrast C(t). Lower contrast means more motion, which means a higher BFI.
  • BVI (Blood Volume Index) is derived from detected intensity I(t). It tracks volume changes over time.
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 is greater than 0.9, suspect poor sensor contact before you interpret the trace.

Make your first contribution

Fork, branch, commit, PR, CLA, merge. Reviews happen within 48 hours. See How to Contribute and Best Practices for the full process.

Pick a small, shippable change:

  • Docs fix: a typo, broken link, or unclear README step.
  • Unit test: add a missing test case for an existing function.
  • Firmware tweak: a small improvement to the console firmware.
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

Your first PR triggers an automated CLA signature. It takes under two minutes.

Browse Good First Issues

Where to ask questions

Ready to ship your first PR? Browse open issues, pick one, and we will review within 48 hours. Using Open-LIFU instead? See the Open-LIFU Quick Start Guide.

Open-Motion is a research-use-only platform, not yet cleared by the FDA and not for use in diagnostic procedures. See the Overview for the full statement.