Welcome to the MOTUS Research Platform.

Are you invited to a study? Click Get Started and follow the instructions.

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MOTUS has been dedicated to becoming the most reliable software platform for conducting scientific studies on human behaviour. Being fully digital, MOTUS is able to capture insights of daily life through user-friendly survey methods.

What is MOTUS?

MOTUS is a research software platform that hosts scientific studies about daily life. This was first used to conduct a large-scale time-use survey amongst the Flemish population in 2013.

At present, MOTUS is conveniently accessed by its users via the mobile app or website, and is continuously evolving so that it will integrate seamlessly with other devices such as wearables.

What is MOTUS?

Who is behind Motus?

Who is behind Motus?

MOTUS was shaped in 2012 by experts from the Research Group TOR within the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB): Joeri Minnen, Ignace Glorieux and Theun Pieter van Tienoven. These researchers combined their strengths and formed hbits, a spin-off company and a partner of both TOR and VUB. Since then, hbits has acquired the unique license to use MOTUS in conducting studies of time-use in the context of daily life and other scientific researches on human behaviour. Visit the hbits website to learn more about previous and current researches being done through MOTUS.

Why should I participate?

Studies done through MOTUS try to understand daily life - from the habits you form down to the choices you make. Daily life is all about you and in studies like these, you let us peek into what goes on in everyday existence and tell us what daily life looks like.

By participating, you contribute to a richer understanding of human behaviour - both good and bad in daily life.

Why should I participate?

How does it work?

Were you invited for a study? Congratulations! Please check your email where you should have received your login details (username and password).
Participating in a MOTUS research is convenient and seamless. You can access the research via the website or mobile application across devices such as your laptop, mobile phone or tablet. Click on Log in at the top right of the page to sign in through the web browser or download the app from one of the app stores.
Once you've logged in, you'll see the studies you can participate in. Depending on the study, you may be asked to log your daily activities, answer questionnaires or both. You will be intuitively guided along the way with The Assistant feature, which you can turn on or off at any time.
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Seamlessly switch between devices

Whether you’re on your phone, tablet or computer, the MOTUS Research Platform allows for a seamless transition between devices. This way, you can easily start your research on your computer, continue on your phone while you’re out and about and end it on a tablet. Your progress through the research is synced on all devices.

Need help?

Need instructions on how to go about participating in the study? We have a video divided into chapters and text tutorials to take you through the process.

Need help?

Frequently asked questions

There are numerous reasons why you could’ve been invited to participate in a study.

There are studies where invitations are sent to a random sample drawn from the National Register, while others select a random or stratified sample from an existing database of which you’re part of. You may have been included in such databases for reasons such as being a registered student or employee, being an association member, being a newsletter subscriber, becoming a discount card registrant, or simply because you signed up for a service.

Your individual contribution matters immensely along with others because the aggregate findings in a study is what allows researchers to understand human behaviour in everyday life. Researchers are able to derive relevant insight when they have a view of what goes on in daily life."

You can participate by logging in on the MOTUS web or mobile application. Use the username and password provided in the invitation letter or the email you received. Once you log in, you will see the tasks within the study. Tap or click on a task and get started.

If you want to use the web application, click the Log in button in the upper right corner to get started.

For each study it is announced when and how long the study takes place. We kindly ask you to start the study once you received an invitation.

Studies differ because they might involve different tasks. A questionnaire takes about 15 to 20 minutes to complete. A time diary takes about 15 minutes per day to complete.

This depends on the study. For each study, it will be announced beforehand whether or not compensation is foreseen and what this compensation entails.

Depending on the study, the Research Group TOR of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and/or the spin-off hbits are responsible for the study. When the study is done together with another organisation, this responsibility will be shared. The Research Group TOR and/or hbits remain responsible for the MOTUS data collection platform.

Your privacy is protected by several security regulations. MOTUS fully complies with GDPR regulations. You will find more details in our privacy policy.
See all FAQ

Questions about your current research?

First, make sure to check the Help page and FAQ page where we address common concerns. If you didn’t find the answer you’re looking for, please contact the organisation conducting the study directly through one of the links below:

Your privacy

We are committed to respect, guarantee and secure your privacy and anonymity at all times. As such, we ensure that any MOTUS research is in compliance with the privacy regulations of the country in which this is executed.

Data protection

All data collected within the frame of a study conducted through MOTUS will only be used for the purposes stated in the research description. You can consult this description at any time on the research overview page, which is accessible after logging in.

Privacy and anonymity

Your data are confidential and will be stored anonymously. At no time during the study will your research data be linked to your personal information without your permission. Your contact information is only accessible during the study period and only to the researchers that are responsible for the progress and follow-up of the study that you participate in using the MOTUS research platform.

Fully GDPR compatible

We guarantee that our methods of data collection are in full compliance with the rules of GDPR. The protection of your data and your trust in using MOTUS are of utmost importance to us.

Full Privacy Agreement