Introduction to Microsoft Kinect

Introduction

It has been long since I wrote an article, I recently ended my developer career, am now in Management and that is now my ambitions, but it does not mean I will not write articles for you. Now I have plenty of time to play around with new technology and also share knowledge on what I have learned in the past 8 to 9 years. This article introduces a different and new ways that computers work. This is one of the most beautiful technologies that Microsoft has ever created and it is still in its infancy stage, but it’s so beautiful.

In this article am going to introduce you to Microsoft Kinect for Windows

Objective

I bought an Xbox 360 Kinect sensor over the weekend and it had all the cables and I was planning to just play games and I realized that I was supposed to buy also the Xbox console. So I took the sensor with and I plugged it into my laptop and I started downloading the SDK and the developer Toolkit and I browsed through the example projects and I was really impressed with what I saw, I thought I should introduce to you my journey with Kinect from the beginning so that you will know where I started one day.

What is Microsoft Kinect

Microsoft Kinect is the next generation of Computing. Wikipedia explain it nicely by saying

Kinect is a motion sensing input device by Microsoft for the Xbox 360 video game console and Windows PCs. Based around a webcam-style add-on peripheral for the Xbox 360 console, it enables users to control and interact with the Xbox 360 without the need to touch a game controller, through a natural user interface using gestures and spoken commands. [The project is aimed at broadening the Xbox 360's audience beyond its typical gamer base. Kinect competes with the Wii Remote Plus and PlayStation. Move with PlayStation Eye motion controllers for the Wii and PlayStation 3 home consoles, respectively. A version for Windows was released on February 1, 2012.

There are two types of Kinect sensor, there is one that is intended for development which is depicted in Figure 1.1 and another one which is depicted in Figure 1.2

Figure 1.1

Figure 1.2

The Kinect for Windows sensor is a fully-tested and supported Kinect experience on Windows with features such as “near mode,” skeletal tracking control, API improvements, and improved USB support across a range of Windows computers and Windows-specific 10’ acoustic models.

The sensor was specifically designed to be used with computers, and includes a shortened USB cable to ensure reliability across a broad range of computers. Kinect for Xbox 360 was built for and tested with the Xbox 360 only, not with any other platform, which is why it is not licensed for general commercial use, supported, or under warranty when used on any other platform.

Kinect for Xbox 360, on the other hand, was built for and tested with the Xbox 360 only, not with any other platform, which is why it is not licensed for general commercial use, supported, or under warranty when used on any other platform.

Microsoft has a large team of engineers that is dedicated to continual improvements of the hardware and software associated with Kinect for Windows, and is committed to providing ongoing access to Microsoft's deep investment in human tracking and speech recognition. But both can be used for development.

What can I do with Kinect, is it Only for Games?

Initially Kinect was just for games, but there is an opportunity to build real life applications that can change our lives and also the lives of those who will come after us. Kinect open the opportunities for us to create environments that was presented to us in movies like Avatar, where windows are being touch from air, where one can control a computer while walking, Windows that are not on your screen, just floating on air as depicted in figure 1.3.

Figure 1.3

Educational applications can be done with Kinect, which will make learning easier for our children as depicted in Figure 1.4.

Figure 1.4

Hospitals can use while doing surgery as depicted in figure 1.5.

Figure 1.5

In clinics

Figure 1.6

And more applications can be developed. There are more opportunities.

Where do I Start