Popular Mechanics has named the Software Development Kit for Kinect to its list of the 10 Most Innovative Products of 2011.
As a gaming device, Kinect was a hit. PM gave its user interface, Project Natal, a Breakthrough Award in 2009. But it wasn’t until hackers got their hands on the motion-control technology for Xbox 360—with its infrared camera, laser depth sensors and microphone array—that Kinect’s true potential emerged. UC Davis students used the depth sensors for 3D video conferencing; at the University of Minnesota, Kinect became a tool for identifying ADD, OCD and autism in kids; Microsoft even demonstrated a lounge chair propelled and steered with hand gestures (right).
Read more: The 10 Most Innovative Tech Products of 2011 – Popular Mechanics
This is a terrific recognition of the abilities that are out there for Kinect thanks to the brilliant and creative minds who are exploring the possibilities like those mentioned above.
Kinect for Xbox 360, or simply Kinect (originally known by the code name Project Natal), is a motion sensing input device by Microsoft for the Xbox 360 video game console. 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. (Source: WikiPedia)
