Microsoft Kinect
Remember the days when you had to get up off the couch to change T.V. channels? Well we’ve come a long way, baby. Now T.V. remotes and game controllers may become obsolete.
Microsoft has developed a new generation of technology to control electronic devices called Kinect. Microsoft isn’t just trying to revolutionize video gaming. The company wants to change how people interact with all their entertainment choices. Kinect is the new controller-free system for the Xbox 360 gaming console. The device goes on sale today as a $149.99 standalone device.
The 1.3-pound Kinect is an all-black 2.8-by-11.1-by-2.8-inch (HWD) horizontal bar positioned on top of a motorized pivot that’s designed to blend inconspicuously into your entertainment setup. Three sensors, including a 640-by-480 RGB camera, a monochrome depth sensor, and a multi-array microphone, are used to track players’ movements and voice commands.
After some software downloads, the Kinect calibrates itself to the room automatically. It is actuated by specific gestures (waving your hand at the Kinect) or by using key words for voice commands (“Xbox”). Handheld controllers are no longer needed.
“It is technology that understands you,” Alex Kipman, director of incubation for Kinect said. “Kinect looks at 48 points on the body to figure out what it should do. It always knows who is in charge.”
