Phones of the future monitor your movements

Application could be used to allow remote training in activities like yoga or snowboarding

A Nokia laboratory has developed a mobile phone that monitors the user's body movements as one of a range of experimental future projects.

The application runs on a standard Series 60 phone and displays an image of a human on the screen when activated. A wristwatch-sized device monitors any movement of the user's arm which is then replicated on the screen.

The researchers believe that the application could be used to allow remote training in activities like yoga or snowboarding, where the trainer would use the device to improve the trainee's posture and movement.

Another novel application includes bundling optical character recognition with a cameraphone to allow business cards to be scanned.

After taking a picture of the card the software converts the image to text before transferring the details to the phone's address book.

The team has also developed a boxed Bluetooth station that allows users to download and pay for music, images and video onto their phones.

Initially envisaged as a point of sale device, the hardware is so small that it could be integrated into advertising hoardings.