SKILL BUILDER
INTERMEDIATE
KINECT
HACKING
Go from handwaving to coding
with the Microsoft Kinect SDK.
By Joshua Blake
Kinect for Xbox 360 is an amazing little device stuffed with
magical sensors. Its revolutionary power and affordability
($150 without the Xbox console) has sparked a wave of
innovation in human-computer interfaces that engage the
whole body. Now all kinds of games and gadgets can recognize your movements and gestures as commands to do
all kinds of things, without you having to wear anything.
This article will explain what Kinect is, how it works, and
how you can develop your own Kinect hacks. As a starter
application, I’ll explain the Kinect Weather Map, a live video
application that changes your background to a different
animated weather map whenever you walk across the
frame and turn — just like a TV meteorologist, but
without a green screen.
Joshua Blake (@joshblake) is an integrator (developer-UX designer hybrid) with extensive experience developing
Natural User Interfaces (NUI) for Kinect, Microsoft Surface, and Windows 7 touch. He founded the OpenKinect community and is technical director of the InfoStrat Advanced Technology Group in Washington, D.C.
nui.joshland.org
Portions of this article were adapted from the author’s upcoming book, Natural User Interfaces in . NET.
Gregory Hayes
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