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Before you can start tracking your posture, you need to grant camera access and select the appropriate camera device.

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Granting Camera Permissions

The extension requires access to your webcam to detect your posture using the MoveNet pose detection model.
1

Open the Options page

Click the Posture!Posture!Posture! extension icon in your browser toolbar, then click “Open Popup” to launch the Options window.
2

Click 'Start' to begin tracking

Click the “Start” button on the Options page. This will trigger the browser’s camera permission prompt.
3

Allow camera access

When your browser asks for camera permission, click “Allow” to grant access to the extension.
First-time setup: You must allow camera access for the extension to work. The camera feed is processed entirely locally in your browser - no video data is ever transmitted or stored.

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Permission Denied?

If you accidentally denied camera access or need to reset permissions: Chrome:
  1. Click the lock icon in the address bar when viewing the Options page
  2. Find “Camera” in the permissions list
  3. Change the setting to “Allow”
  4. Refresh the page and click “Start” again
Firefox:
  1. Click the lock icon in the address bar
  2. Click “More Information” → “Permissions” tab
  3. Find “Use the Camera” and uncheck “Use Default”
  4. Select “Allow” and refresh the page

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Selecting Your Camera Device

If you have multiple cameras (built-in webcam, external USB camera, etc.), you can choose which one to use for posture tracking.

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Available Cameras

Once camera access is granted, the extension automatically detects all available video input devices: 
const handleDevices = (mediaDevices) => {
  const cameras = mediaDevices.filter(
    (device) => device.kind === 'videoinput'
  );
  
  if (!cameras.length) return;
  setDevices(cameras);
  setDeviceId(cameras[0].deviceId);
};
By default, the extension uses the first detected camera (usually your built-in webcam).

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Switching Between Cameras

To switch to a different camera:
1

Locate the camera dropdown

On the Options page, find the dropdown menu below the Start/Stop and Reset Posture buttons.
2

Select your preferred camera

Click the dropdown and select a different camera from the list. Each camera is labeled with its name (e.g., “FaceTime HD Camera” or “USB Camera”).
3

Wait for automatic restart

The extension automatically stops and restarts tracking with the new camera - no manual action needed!

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How Camera Switching Works

When you select a different camera, the extension performs a smooth transition: 
async function handleSetDeviceId(e) {
  await setDeviceId(e.target.value);
  await setIsWatching(false);
  await setIsWatching((isWatching) => !isWatching);
}
This process:
  1. Updates the selected device ID
  2. Stops the current camera stream
  3. Restarts tracking with the new camera
When switching cameras, you’ll need to set a new good posture baseline since camera angles and positions differ between devices.

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Camera Best Practices

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Positioning Your Camera

For optimal posture tracking, position your camera:
  • At eye level or slightly above: This provides the clearest view of your upper body and face
  • Directly in front of you: Angled cameras may affect tracking accuracy
  • About arm’s length away: Too close or too far can reduce detection quality
  • In good lighting: Ensure your face and upper body are well-lit
Avoid backlighting (sitting in front of a bright window) as this can make it difficult for MoveNet to detect your pose keypoints.

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Ideal Camera Setup

Built-in laptop webcam:
  • Place your laptop on a stand to raise the camera to eye level
  • Avoid looking down at your screen, which defeats the purpose of posture tracking!
External webcam:
  • Mount on top of your monitor at eye level
  • Angle slightly downward to capture your shoulders and torso
  • Ensure a stable mount (wobbling cameras affect tracking)

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Troubleshooting Camera Issues

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Camera Not Detected

If no cameras appear in the dropdown:
  1. Check that your camera is properly connected (for external cameras)
  2. Verify camera permissions are granted
  3. Close other applications that might be using the camera (Zoom, Teams, etc.)
  4. Refresh the Options page
  5. Try restarting your browser

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Video Feed Not Showing

If the camera list appears but no video feed shows:
  1. Ensure you clicked “Start” to begin tracking
  2. Check that the selected camera is the correct one
  3. Try switching to a different camera and back
  4. Verify camera permissions in browser settings

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Poor Tracking Quality

If the extension frequently loses track of your pose:
  • Improve lighting: Add light sources in front of you
  • Remove obstructions: Ensure your head and shoulders are fully visible
  • Adjust camera angle: Position the camera to capture your full upper body
  • Check distance: Move closer or farther from the camera
MoveNet requires a clear view of at least your head and shoulders to detect posture accurately. If keypoints appear red in the video preview, it indicates tracking issues.

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Privacy and Security

Your privacy is protected throughout the camera setup and usage:
  • Camera feed is processed entirely locally using TensorFlow.js
  • No video or image data is uploaded to external servers
  • No analytics or tracking libraries are included
  • The extension only extracts pose keypoint coordinates (simple X,Y numbers)
  • Your webcam feed is never recorded or stored
You can verify the extension’s privacy by reviewing the open-source code on GitHub. The only permission required is camera access - the extension doesn’t request network permissions for data transmission.

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Keeping the Options Window Open

For the extension to track your posture continuously, the Options page must remain open.
Important: The Options window must be visible (not minimized) at least once for tracking to initialize properly. After initialization, you can minimize it, but it must stay open in the background.
Recommended setup:
  1. Open the Options page when you start working
  2. Position it on a secondary monitor or in a corner of your screen
  3. Leave it running throughout your browsing session
  4. The live video feed provides useful visual feedback as you work
Alternatively, you can minimize the window after tracking starts, though you’ll lose the visual feedback of the pose detection overlay.

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