I’ve often spoken and written about innovation- how a novel device, drug, or product builds upon the development and findings of others.  Let’s consider the genesis of one new commercial (actually, a toy) product that will, in my opinion, change healthcare dramatically over the next decade or so.

To cut the history somewhat, let’s start with PrimeSense, a small firm founded in 2005 by Aviad Maizels, Alexander Shpunt, Ophir Sharon, Tamir Berliner and Dima Rais.  They have developed a unit they call “Reference Design”. It enables a computer to perceive 3 dimensional spaces- and translate that data to an image, very similarly to the means by which humans can and do. Basically, the device is a sensor (perceives the 3D scene) and a perception component (the “brain” that processes user interactions with its surroundings.

3DV Systems, a small Israeli company, introduced ZCam, a time-of-flight camera, that is capable of resolution to 1 cm or less, with a distance capability of some 60 m.  It enabled 3D image compositing for video; their device could follow body movements and let one control an electronic device with their body motions.  (This was shown at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show).  This company was acquired by Microsoft in March, 2009 for about $35 million.

Microsoft used these two building block for its Project Natal.  The project’s goal was to “one-up” Wii (Nintendo).  Instead of swinging the controller to direct the action, you can just swing your arm.  Project Natal become a product– the Kinect. This device contains two depth sensors, and an RGB camera.  The camera tracks side-to-side, as well as front-to-back, and up-and-down motion; in other words, one’s entire range of motion is available as control objects.  It also includes a microphone for voice-activated commands (and speech recognition).

But, in spite of Microsoft’s intentions for exclusive use with Xbox 360, it’s really not just for games. Microsoft’s Kinect is attractive because its $ 150 retail price is much lower than the cost of movement sensors of similar sophistication. (I should note that Microsoft initially threatened legal actions against the following ideas, but have since backed down.) 

We’ll continue tomorrow…

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