By Julian Siddle BBC Go Digital

Julian Siddle tries his hand at producing art

The aim of the Body-Brush project is to combine computer technology and art, with the artist themselves acting as the paintbrush.

"The computers track movement, the speed of movement defines the intensity of the brush stroke and the acceleration defines the saturation of the colour", said Professor Horace Ip of the City University of Hong Kong, who is leading the project.

The works of art produced are reminiscent of Jackson Pollock, with large strokes of bold colour which follow the movement of the arm.

Enhanced performance

A grid which Professor Ip calls a 3D canvas, is marked on the floor in front of the projection screen.

And the side you enter the grid from defines what colour you are about to paint.

As you wave your hands up in the air the pitch gets higher, as you crouch down on the floor you hear a low frequency thud Professor Horace Ip, City University of Hong Kong

The system uses a series of cameras under infra lighting to give continuous feedback on the position of the artist within the grid.

Professor Ip believes the body brush system could be used to enhance the performance of both visual artists and dancers.

"It's a new way of creating three dimensional painting for digital artists," he told the BBC programme Go Digital.

"It's also useful for contemporary dancers. They like to improvise and can watch the visual feedback they create when dancing instead of dancing with pre-recorded videos."

The system can also be programmed to produce sounds, again just by tracking the body's movements.

"Height defines the frequency of the sound produced. As you wave your hands up in the air the pitch gets higher, as you crouch down on the floor you hear a low frequency thud," said Professor Ip.

"The result is a 3D sound generated by a four-speaker system."

Professor Ip hopes the system will be used in theatres and art galleries as well as video games arcades.