Microsoft already gave us a look at its next-gen Kinect alongside the Xbox One, but today the company circled back to announce an update to the Windows version of its sensor. Don't get too excited yet, though: the update won't debut until 2014. Still, Redmond has shared details about some of the enhancements it says will "revolutionize computing experiences," such as a higher-definition camera, expanded field of view and improved motion tracking -- essentially the same improvements we'll see on the new Kinect for the Xbox One. Microsoft says developers will learn more at the Build 2013 conference in June, so stay tuned.
Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals, Microsoft
Source: Kinect for Windows Blog
Microsoft has kept its internally-developed Kinect Fusion tool all to itself, but now, hot on the heels of Build 2012, the firm has announced that it's working on baking the software into the Kinect for Windows SDK. Concocted by Ballmer and Co.'s Cambridge, UK research lab, the tool can be leveraged to create 3D models of objects or environments, develop augmented reality applications and even take 3D measurements. By the looks of it, creating a model with the tool is a pretty painless process. When passing an object in front of a Kinect or sweeping the hardware throughout an area, the software will use the continuous stream of data collected by the device's sensors and compile it into a 3D model. Intrigued by Kinect Fusion? Hit the jump to catch a video presentation made for SIGGRAPH 2011 by the team behind the software.
Filed under: Software, Microsoft
Kinect Fusion tool coming to Kinect for Windows SDK, will help devs create 3D models originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Nov 2012 01:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Microsoft had hinted that there were big things in store for its update to the Kinect for Windows SDK on October 8th. It wasn't bluffing; developers can now tap a much wider range of input than the usual frantic arm-waving. Gadgets that move the Kinect itself can use the accelerometer to register every tilt and jolt, while low-light fans can access the raw infrared sensor stream. The Redmond crew will even even let coders go beyond the usual boundaries, giving them access to depth information beyond 13 feet, fine-tuning the camera settings and tracking skeletal data from multiple sensors inside of one app. Just where we use the SDK has been expanded as well -- in addition to promised Chinese support, Kinect input is an option for Windows 8 desktop apps. Programmers who find regular hand control just too limiting can hit the source for the download link and check Microsoft's blog for grittier detail.
Filed under: Peripherals, Software, Microsoft
Kinect for Windows SDK gets accelerometer and infrared input, reaches China and Windows 8 desktops originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Oct 2012 16:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Kinect for Windows will arrive in style to China and other new markets starting October 8th, sporting a brand new SDK. The new developer kit will add features like color camera settings and extended depth data, as well as more tools and samples like a UI demo based on Kinect's so-called human interface guidelines. Chinese users won't be the only ones waving hello for the first time this fall though, as Chile, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, and Poland have also been added to the list. All told, 38 countries will be able to tinker with the Kinect by the end of the year, and Microsoft envisions an era "where we'll be able to interact intuitively and naturally" with our computers. Some of Redmond's userbase may want it to start somewhere else with that quest.
Filed under: Peripherals, Software
Kinect for Windows SDK to add new features, markets originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 05:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Using Microsoft's Kinect to replace a mouse is often considered the Holy Grail of developers; there have been hacks and other tricks to get it working well before Kinect for Windows was even an option. A lead Technical Evangelist for Microsoft in France, David Catuhe, has just provided a less makeshift approach. The 1.2 update to his Kinect Toolbox side project introduces hooks to control the mouse outright, including 'magnetic' control to draw the mouse from its original position. To help keep the newly fashioned input (among other gestures) under control, Catuhe has also taken advantage of the SDK 1.5 release to check that the would-be hand-waver is sitting and staring at the Kinect before accepting any input. The open-source Windows software is available to grab for experimentation today, so if you think hands-free belongs as much on the PC desktop as in a car, you now have a ready-made way to make the dream a reality... at least, until you have to type.
Filed under: Peripherals, Software
Kinect Toolbox update turns hand gestures into mouse input, physical contact into distant memory originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Aug 2012 03:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Second Story isn't content to leave window shoppers guessing at whether or not they can afford that dress or buy it in mauve. A new project at the creative studio uses the combination of a Kinect for Windows sensor with a Planar LookThru transparent LCD enclosure to provide an augmented reality overlay for whatever passers-by see inside the box. The Microsoft peripheral's face detection keeps the perspective accurate and (hopefully) entrances would-be customers. Coming from an outlet that specializes in bringing this sort of work to corporate clients, the potential for retail use is more than a little obvious, but not exclusive: the creators imagine it also applying to art galleries, museums and anywhere else that some context would come in handy. If it becomes a practical reality, we're looking forward to Second Story's project dissuading us from the occasional impulse luxury purchase.
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Peripherals
Second Story uses Kinect for augmented shopping, tells us how much that doggie is in the window (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jul 2012 02:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Microsoft is busting out version 1.5 of its Kinect for Windows runtime and SDK that includes a raft of new features for the Xbox-lacking hoi polli. The update includes 10-joint skeletal tracking that'll work even when seated, face following capabilities and joint orientation -- the latter enabling it to predict how your body will move for greater accuracy. It's also gaining four extra languages for speech recognition: French, Spanish, Italian and Japanese, not to mention Kinect Studio, which will help developers record and play back your movements to fine-tune their applications. In addition, Redmond is offering language packs to ensure the sensor will play harmoniously with your local dialect, cobber.
Kinect for Windows SDK reaches v1.5, now works when you're sitting down originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 May 2012 11:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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