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Open source driversIn November 2010, Adafruit Industries offered a bounty for an open-source driver for Kinect. Microsoft initially voiced its disapproval of the bounty, stating that it "does not condone the modification of its products" and that it had "built in numerous hardware and software safeguards designed to reduce the chances of product tampering".[88] This reaction, however, was caused by a misunderstanding within Microsoft,[89] and the company later clarified its position, claiming that while it does not condone hacking of either the physical device or the console, the USB connection was left open by design.
On November 10, Adafruit announced Héctor Martín as the winner,[91][92] who had produced a Linux driver that allows the use of both the RGB camera and depth sensitivity functions of the device.[93][94] It was later revealed that Johnny Lee, a core member of Microsoft's Kinect development team, had secretly approached Adafruit with the idea of a driver development contest and had personally financed it.[95] In December 2010, PrimeSense, whose depth sensing reference design Kinect is based on, released their own open source drivers along with motion tracking middleware called NITE.[96] PrimeSense later announced that it had teamed up with Asus to develop a PC-compatible device similar to Kinect, which will be called WAVI Xtion and is scheduled for release in the second quarter of 2011.[97] A demonstration of a third party use of Kinect at Maker Faire. The visualization on the left, provided through Kinect, is of a user of a jacket with wearable electronic controls for VJing. Numerous developers are researching possible applications of Kinect that go beyond the system's intended purpose of playing games. For example, Philipp Robbel of MIT combined Kinect with the iRobot Create to map a room in 3D and have the robot respond to human gestures,[98] while an MIT Media Lab team is working on a JavaScript extension for Google Chrome called depthJS that allows users to control the browser with hand gestures.[99] Other programmers, including the Robot Locomotion Group at MIT, are using the drivers to develop a motion-controller user interface similar to the one envisioned in the film Minority Report.[100] The developers of MRPT have integrated open source drivers into their libraries and provided examples of live 3D rendering and basic 3D visual SLAM.[101] Another team has shown an application that allows Kinect users to play a virtual piano by tapping their fingers on an empty desk.[102] Oliver Kreylos, a researcher at University of California, Davis, adopted the technology to improve live 3-dimensional videoconferencing, which NASA has shown interest in.[103] Alexandre Alahi from EPFL presented a video surveillance system that combines multiple Kinect devices to track groups of people even in complete darkness.[104] Companies So touch and Evoluce have developed presentation software for Kinect that can be controlled by hand gestures; among its features is a multi-touch zoom mode.[105] In December 2010, the free public beta of HTPC software KinEmote was launched; it allows navigation of Boxee and XBMC menus using a Kinect sensor.[106] Soroush Falahati wrote an application that can be used to create stereoscopic 3D images with a Kinect sensor.[107] For a limited time in May 2011, a Topshop store in Moscow set up a Kinect kiosk that could overlay a collection of dresses onto the live video feed of customers. Through automatic tracking, position and rotation of the virtual dress were updated even as customers turned around to see the back of the outfit.[108] Kinect also shows compelling potential for use in medicine. Researchers at the University of Minnesota have used Kinect to measure a range of disorder symptoms in children, creating new ways of objective evaluation to detect such conditions as autism, attention-deficit disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.[109] At the Institute of Forensic Medicine Virtopsy Project at the University of Bern in Switzerland, researchers have devised a way for surgeons to manipulate imaging techniques (such as MRI) to guide surgery, using a Kinect to capture their hand motions to direct the imaging, freeing their hands from having to use computer keyboards, thus also reducing the chance of contamination.[110] This technique is already working at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, where doctors use it to guide imaging during cancer surgery.[111] Reception IGN gave the device 7.5 out of 10, saying that "Kinect can be a tremendous amount of fun for casual players, and the creative, controller-free concept is undeniably appealing", though adding that for "$149.99, a motion-tracking camera add-on for the Xbox 360 is a tough sell, especially considering that the entry level variation of the Xbox 360 itself is only $199.99".[114] Game Informer rated Kinect 8 out of 10, praising the technology but noting that the experience takes a while to get used to and that the spatial requirement may pose a barrier.[113] Computer and Video Games called the device a technological gem and applauded the gesture and voice controls, while criticizing the launch lineup and Kinect Hub.[112] CNET's review pointed out how Kinect keeps players active with its full-body motion sensing but criticized the learning curve, the additional power supply needed for older Xbox 360 consoles and the space requirements.[115] Engadget, too, listed the large space requirements as a negative, along with Kinect's launch lineup and the slowness of the hand gesture UI. The review praised the system's powerful technology and the potential of its yoga and dance games.[116] Kotaku considered the device revolutionary upon first use but noted that games were sometimes unable to recognize gestures or had slow responses, concluding that Kinect is "not must-own yet, more like must-eventually own."[122] TechRadar praised the voice control and saw a great deal of potential in the device whose lag and space requirements were identified as issues.[118] Gizmodo also noted Kinect's potential and expressed curiosity in how more mainstream titles would utilize the technology.[123] Ars Technica's review expressed concern that the core feature of Kinect, its lack of a controller, would hamper development of games beyond those that have either stationary players or control the player's movement automatically.[124] The mainstream press also reviewed Kinect. USA Today compared it to the futuristic control scheme seen in Minority Report, stating that "playing games feels great" and giving the device 3.5 out of 4 stars.[117] David Pogue from The New York Times predicted you will feel a "crazy, magical, omigosh rush the first time you try the Kinect." Despite calling the motion tracking less precise than Wii's implementation, Pogue concluded that "Kinect?s astonishing technology creates a completely new activity that?s social, age-spanning and even athletic."[125] The Globe and Mail titled Kinect as setting a "new standard for motion control." The slight input lag between making a physical movement and Kinect registering it was not considered a major issue with most games, and the review called Kinect "a good and innovative product," rating it 3.5 out of 4 stars.[126] Sales 10 million units of the Kinect sensor had been shipped by March 9, 2011.[1] Having sold 8 million units in its first 60 days on the market, Kinect has claimed the Guinness World Record of being the "fastest selling consumer electronics device".[1][19][20][21] According to Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter, Kinect bundles accounted for about half of all Xbox 360 console sales in December 2010 and for more than two-thirds in February 2011.[127][128] Awards
Date: 2016-06-12; view: 105 |