Kinect is one of the most happening and latest products launched by Microsoft. It is replacing the touch technology with gesture recognition technology. It is a motion sensing input device which works with the Microsoft’s most popular video game console, the Xbox 360 and Windows based computers. It enables users to control the Xbox console or a windows PC with the gesture command and voice command.
Microsoft Kinect device is a bar like device which lies on a stand beneath it. It has 3 major parts namely an RGB camera, a 3D depth sensors and multi-array microphone. It incorporate most advanced capabilities like facial recognition, voice recognition and most importantly full body 3D motion capture. The 3D depth sensor works on the infrared technology. It uses infrared laser projector with a monochrome CMOS sensor to capture the 3D video data even in low light conditions.
Microsoft Kinect can sense up to 2 active players for motion analysis. The sensing capability of Kinect allows it to track up to 20 joints per player at a time.
Initially the device was launched as an enhancement for Xbox console. On June 16, 2011, Microsoft released non-commercial Kinect Software Development Kit for Windows 7. The SDK included drivers for the device compatible with Windows 7 PC’s. Using the Kinect SDK, the developers can build Kinect applications for Windows PC’s with C++, C# and Microsoft Visual Studio 2010. Recently Microsoft launched Kinect for Windows 1.5 with advanced features and new languages. It includes a new app named Kinect Studio which the developers can use to record, playback, and debug clips of users interacting with applications
Microsoft Kinect Development
Microsoft Kinect development refers to the development of apps for use with Kinect Device based on Xbox and Windows PC’s. PC based Kinect apps are moving far beyond just gaming and making the device much more useful than just playing games. Many Kinect development companies in USA and around the world are working on developing Kinect apps for social welfare. This includes implementation of Kinect sensing technology in medical field, education field and many more.
Kinect is proving to be the next stepping stone and is replacing the touch technology very rapidly. The fact that 8 million Kinect devices were sold in the first 60 days of launch of its launch is a live proof for this. The gesture recognition revolution has just begun and there are miles to be covered yet.