Minority Report style interface control could be in(on) the cards for Microsoft's future operating systems. The full capabilities of Kinect are only just being discovered, excitingly, hackers have taken to the device like ducks to water and new capability demos are already hitting the scene.
Blogger Pradeep Viswav seems to have as specific interest in just what Kinect is capable of, and has compiled quite a few videos that demonstrate Kinect not only as a PC control device, but also expanding on the 3D view encountered recently. Virtual "touch" could be the next wave in UI interaction. This demo shows Windows 7 being controlled by Kinect.
Emily Gobeille and Theo Watson have been experimenting with Kinect motion capture. They have released a demo utilizing depth in combination with the libfreenect ofxKinect drivers. The demo enables a virtual bird to be controlled by the movements of your arm, even going as so far as monitoring joints.
These types of hacks are very new and at the moment are just taking baby steps towards being truly useful. It's only a matter of time before hackers develop an implementation that could be integrated into a user environment. The earlier demo showing 3D room manipulation could also be enhanced with more cameras to create a full, manipulatable view of a location.
With Microsoft's recent purchase of Canesta, the company obviously has further plans for motion control than just gaming. This may be an integral part of a new operating system, focusing on a new control method.
43 Comments - Add comment