Yesterday, we talked about the development of the Kinect by Microsoft.  Today, we’ll see how it can be used.

Within days of its release, Kinect was hacked.  Egged on by Adafruit (electronics kit manufacturer), who offered $ 1000 for the first hack of Kinect (and then upped it to $3K, when Microsoft complained about the reverse engineering of its device), Hector Martin made his hacks available for download.  (This, and others, can all be found on www.openkinect.org, which provides a free, open source libraries for Kinect interactions with Windows, Linux, and Macintosh operating systems.).  Martin did not even own an Xbox- he connected the Kinect to a Linux computer.

Maybe, we should talk about hacking- which is akin to “unlocking” hardware.  Gamers did it for years- making their computers run at speeds beyond what the manufacturers envisioned.  I (and many others) hacked our phones, so we could use them on various networks.  (For years, AT&T considered that I had a Sony Ericsson phone and not the Palm Treo that more suited my needs.  My PalmPre is currently hacked to run various programs I need that are not part of Palm/HP’s official catalogue.)

In this case (Microsoft Kinect), there were two primary issues for the manufacturer (Microsoft) to consider. The first is that NO changes were made by Martin to the product itself and the second (and, probably more salient reason) is that Microsoft stands to make a bundle from the development of this and other hacks.

One of the next “hacks”of this device was developed by the Institute for Creative Technologies (at USC) [initially funded by DARPA] , which created the “Flexible Action and Articulation Skeleton Toolkit“.  (A quick segue:  DARPA is the advanced research arm of the Pentagon.  Like NASA, which using federal dollars, has provided us with many wonderful benefits, so has DARPA.  Among its many developments was the internet.  (Sorry, Mr. Gore, this one is theirs and not to be found in your “toolchest”.)

This toolkit employs Kinect’s motion sensors and image processors to integrated full body control with virtual reality applications.  It streams the skeletal pattern (body position and gestures) for mapping to keyboard controls.  (This is available for non-commercial use for free.)  The USC group hopes to use this hack to re-develop motor skills for stroke victims, among other areas.

But, there are plenty of other uses to come with these hacks into/around the Kinect.

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