The rise of ubiquitous computing systems in our environment is engendering a strong need for novel approaches of human-computer interaction. Either for extending the existing range of possibilities and services available to people or for providing assistance the ones with limited conditions. Human Activity Recognition (HAR) is playing a central role in this task by offering the input for the development of more interactive and cognitive environments. This has motivated the organization of the ESANN 2013 Special Session in Human Activity and Motion Disorder Recognition and the execution of a competition in HAR. Here, a compilation of the most recent proposals in the area are exposed accompanied by the results of the contest calling for innovative approaches to recognize activities of daily living (ADL) from a recently published data set.