Kinect + Windows 7 = Control PC With Hand Gestures

Microsoft Kinect device is exclusively released for XBox 360 gaming consoles for enabling gesture based gaming experience(see below for more details on Kinect). But third party software developers are able to hack Kinect device and plug it to Windows 7 PC for providing gesture based user interface on PCs. That’s very exciting news for  PC users.

Engineers at Evoluce software Team taken full advantage of depth sensing capabilities of Kinect  to enable multiple user interaction with Windows 7.

Multiple users gesturing up to several metres from a screen connected to the Kinect sensor device can simultaneously control multiple multi-touch and multi-gesture applications running under Windows 7, including those using Flash and Java.

Evoluce is the first to have created a working bridge between Kinect and Windows 7 taking advantage of depth-sensing data from Kinect to enable multi-user, multi-gesture control of Windows 7 applications

Check the embedded video below demonstrating users navigating Maps application (panning, zooming, moving), interacting with images (rotating, organizing, zooming and expanding) and using fingers to write text using paint application. Multiple users are able to interact with the PC at a time and Windows 7 responds properly to multi gestures. 

Evoluce promised to release it’s Kinect driver for Windows 7 soon for opening up new era in PC interaction.

What is Microsoft Kinect? How It Works?

Kinect is a awesome peripheral device that plugs into Microsoft XBox 360 gaming device to allow gesture based natural user interface for playing games. Kinect lets you play games without touching game controllers. Kinect enables users to control and interact with XBox 360 games using gestures(body movements) and spoken commands.

Kinect uses a motion sensor that tracks your entire body. When you play, it’s not only about your hands and thumbs. It’s about all of you. Arms, legs, knees, waist, hips and so on. You run in a running race game, you kick to play football, boxing is a real fun when you punch and so on.

Check this cool introduction video of Kinect to know the details

Further Reading

1. What Is Xbox 360 Kinect? – Gizmodo
2. Kinect for Xbox 360 review – Engadget
3. Kinect Pushes Users Into a Sweaty New Dimension – New York Times