Tag Archives: microsoft kinect

Kinect Toolbox update turns hand gestures into mouse input, physical contact into distant memory

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Kinect Toolbox update turns our frantic gestures into mouse input

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.

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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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Kinect Powered Trash Can Moves to Catch Garbage

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moving trash can 650x360 Kinect Powered Trash Can Moves to Catch Garbage
I need one of these. It’s a trash can on wheels connected (wirelessly, obviously) to a wall-mounted Microsoft Kinect. The Kinect uses it’s motion tracking capabilities to track garbage flying through the air and move the garbage can to the right spot to catch the flying debris. No matter what you toss or where in the room you toss it, the trash can catches it. You gotta watch the video:

Obviously there’s a lot of programming and engineering that goes into it to make the trash can actually move and talk to the Kinect. It’s all in Japanese, so if anyone has any more information on this, please leave a comment. Thank for the tip Arata.

Kinect Powered Trash Can Moves to Catch Garbage


Second Story uses Kinect for augmented shopping, tells us how much that doggie is in the window (video)

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Second Story uses Kinect for augmented shopping, tells you exactly how much that doggie is in the window video

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.

Continue reading Second Story uses Kinect for augmented shopping, tells us how much that doggie is in the window (video)

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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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Moving trash can catches your waste, annoys Larry Bird (video)

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Moving trash can catches your waste, annoys Larry Bird (video)

Just when you thought developments in trash can technology hadn't moved too far since the trusted b-ball backboard accessory, a Japanese genius comes along to raise the bar. Modder FRP has created the Smart Trashbox, a moving can which uses a Kinect to track airborne garbage and make sure you'll never miss another three. Impressively, it appears he designed and built every piece of the puzzle himself, from the motorized wheel base right down to the PCB. We dread to think how much coding this took, given that the Kinect monitors the entire room, calculates trash trajectory and sends the can interception orders. Apparently the accuracy stats don't demand MVP awards just yet, but check out the highlight reel (and more details of the project) after the break.

Continue reading Moving trash can catches your waste, annoys Larry Bird (video)

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Moving trash can catches your waste, annoys Larry Bird (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 09:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mars Rover game hits Xbox Live, tasks you with safely landing the Curiosity with Kinect

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Mars Rover game hits Xbox Live, tasks you with safely landing the Curiosity with Kinect

NASA has already made it clear that the Curiosity's touchdown on Mars is a nerve-wracking experience, what with the seven minutes of radio silence, zero margin of error and all. To drive that point home, the organization partnered with Microsoft to offer Xbox Live players the experience of controlling the nerve-wracking descent. Starting Monday, you'll be able to download the free Mars Rover Landing, NASA's first Xbox Live game. The title uses the Kinect motion controller to simulate the many phases of landing, including dropping the heat shield and deploying the supersonic parachute, with players' movements controlling the speed and direction of the craft as it approaches the Red Planet. You'll get three scores -- one for each of the landing process -- not to mention some newfound appreciation for what employees at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory will be going through on August 5th.

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Mars Rover game hits Xbox Live, tasks you with safely landing the Curiosity with Kinect originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Jul 2012 03:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Winscape virtual window makes the leap to Kinect in 4K-capable, 6-screen glory (video)

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Winscape virtual window leaps to Kinect, jumps to 4K footage and 6 screens video

RationalCraft brought its surreal Winscape virtual window to market when the Wii was virtually the only game in town for affordable motion tracking. Microsoft's Kinect has certainly changed the rules of the game since then, so it's almost natural that a fourth-generation Winscape has just launched to make use of the much more sophisticated sensor. For a start, there's no need to dress like Flavor Flav anymore: the camera can recognize anyone, even passers-by, without an oversized necklace. The larger-than-life footage used to generate the window effect has been given its own bump, too, and the app can now handle 4K video as long as the Mac underneath (sorry, Windows folks) is powerful enough to drive it. For those who truly want to be disconnected from reality, there's even six-display support provided it's all hooked up to a Mac Pro and a pair of three-output Radeon HD 5770 video cards. RationalCraft's software is free to try out now, although the requirement for at least two big TVs, a Kinect controller and a fast Mac should say all there is to know about the practical cost of pretending the Golden Gate Bridge is visible from inside a living room in Cleveland.

Continue reading Winscape virtual window makes the leap to Kinect in 4K-capable, 6-screen glory (video)

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Winscape virtual window makes the leap to Kinect in 4K-capable, 6-screen glory (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jul 2012 21:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ben Heck makes Super Glove mod for Kinect, takes strain out of gestures (video)

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Ben Heck makes Super Glove mod for Kinect, takes strain out of gestures (video)

Sick of trying to control your 360 using Kinect, semaphore and advanced flailing? Modgod Ben Heck, deciding he wanted to be more Minority Report and less lunatic, has been working on Power Glove 2.0 to improve the console's navigation experience. The prototype glove is tricked out with Arduino, an accelerometer, a gyroscope and some fingertip buttons. With the addition of IR and a little coding magic, the 360's interface can be controlled via subtle gestures, with increased functionality / style points also apparent. Check out the latest episode of The Ben Heck Show after the break for a detailed walkthrough of the project and a demo of the glove in action.

Continue reading Ben Heck makes Super Glove mod for Kinect, takes strain out of gestures (video)

Ben Heck makes Super Glove mod for Kinect, takes strain out of gestures (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 17:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xbox 360 software at E3: FIFA 2013 / Madden 2013 gaining Kinect voice commands; Halo 4, Fable, Forza Horizon and Gears of War showcased

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Xbox 360 software at E3 FIFA 2013 Madden 2013 gaining Kinect voice commands, Halo 4, Fable, Forza Horizon and Gears of War showcased

No new hardware for Microsoft at E3? No problem. Clearly, this year's all about software for the Xbox 360, with both FIFA 2013 and Madden 2013 confirmed for release with Kinect support. Aside from letting you flail to and fro in order to make plays, both titles will also support voice commands, right down to understanding multiple dialects in the former. As for Madden? There's some pretty intense voice integration, enabling one Joe Montana to actually call plays and direct the huddle with his voice here at the E3 stage. The demo was unsurprisingly awesome, and we're told to expect it on store shelves on August 28th. For those who aren't exactly "sports-inclined," there's also Fable and Halo 4 -- two titles that'll supposedly make this year the "best ever" for Xbox 360 software.

Follow our liveblog of Microsoft's E3 keynote right here!

Gallery: Xbox 360 software at E3

Continue reading Xbox 360 software at E3: FIFA 2013 / Madden 2013 gaining Kinect voice commands; Halo 4, Fable, Forza Horizon and Gears of War showcased

Xbox 360 software at E3: FIFA 2013 / Madden 2013 gaining Kinect voice commands; Halo 4, Fable, Forza Horizon and Gears of War showcased originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 12:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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‘TeleHuman’ uses Kinect for 3D holographic chat, bumps up options for contacting Obi-Wan (video)

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'TeleHuman' uses Kinect for 3D holographic chat, bumps up options for contacting Obi-Wan (video)

Looks like virtual Tupac might have some company. With Kinect, you are the hologram. Besides logging in lots of quality time at a South Korean theme park, the Kinect is now doing double duty at the Human Media Lab of Queen's University in Canada thanks to a 3D holographic chat system called "TeleHuman." The setup basically creates a life-size rendering of its subject by using six Kinect sensors, a 3D projector and a cylindrical display. This allows the viewer to walk around the cylinder for a 360-degree view of the subject, giving new meaning to having someone's back during a chat. The director of the Human Media Lab says the TeleHuman could be available for $5,000 within five years. In the meantime, the tech is also being used by the research team to create a 3D anatomical model browser called the "BodiPod." The BodiPod can display various layers of the human body, which can be virtually peeled off as the viewer gets closer to the display. Check out all the 3D action for the TeleHuman and BodiPod in plain, old 2D by viewing the video after the break.

Continue reading 'TeleHuman' uses Kinect for 3D holographic chat, bumps up options for contacting Obi-Wan (video)

'TeleHuman' uses Kinect for 3D holographic chat, bumps up options for contacting Obi-Wan (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 May 2012 03:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo’s Eedoo CT510 motion gaming console to finally hit China, wants your $600

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$600 Lenovo-funded CT510 console to finally hit China, even company director unimpressed

Product delays that push back release dates a full year are never good. What's worse? When that product finally does launch and even someone inside the company votes against it. That's exactly what's going down with the CT510 GameBox, the Eedoo Kinect competitor for the Chinese market. Though it's gone through a fair share of reincarnations before arriving at its current config (it was formerly known as the eBox), the final package has a dual-core CPU, a minimum of 250GB in HDD storage and a 3D GPU, and comes pre-installed with eight games and ten apps. All told, it will cost a cool 3,799 yuan ($600) when it ships on April 29th -- some very ambitious pricing, considering that the imported Xbox with Kinect (the console isn't officially available in China) already sells for about $459 in China, according to M.I.C. Gadget. A director from the Lenovo-backed company seems to agree: in a Sina Weibo poll asking users whether they'd buy the product (pictured after the break), he selected the answer, "No way! Price-to-performance ratio too low." Though to be fair, the gentleman later clarified that it was an honest mistake, and that his company is targeting the high-end family users instead of the core gamers. Well, we shall let the sales figures do the talking.

Continue reading Lenovo's Eedoo CT510 motion gaming console to finally hit China, wants your $600

Lenovo's Eedoo CT510 motion gaming console to finally hit China, wants your $600 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Apr 2012 11:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Engadget Chinese  |  sourceM.I.C. Gadget, Sina Weibo  | Email this | Comments