Have you ever wondered what kind of information the sensors in your smartphone can provide? Well, if you have, then you’ll appreciate what the Human Dynamics research group from MIT Media Lab have done.  They are creating new ways to utilize the information stored in our smartphones with a system called “Funf.”

Funf has two main components. The first one is a Journal which governs the collection and exportation of sensor data on Android smartphones, while the second is a tool for managing and visualizing the collected data, which works on any desktop or laptop computer.

The Journal can differentiate between, let’s say running and the jiggle the phone gets in a bag or pocket through the accelerator sensor. It can also perform measurements for your daily commute and highlight places which you visit more through your GPS receiver data.

The biggest concern of users over this discovery consists in privacy, but the developers have implemented an encryption program so that your data remains secure. While the second problem is more technical since often sensor-usage drains the battery quickly, they made the smart move to make Funf go into power-saving mode until the phone is plugged in.

If you’re into monitoring your every step, the software is available through a free, open-source download.