Jacob Aron, technology reporter
Sick of fumbling around in the dark for the light switch? Software developer Mike Bourgeous doesn't have to, thanks to his Kinect home automation system. He uses Kinect's person-sensing ability to track his location within the room, and the automation system adjusts the lights to ensure proper illumination wherever he is. Leaving the room shuts off all the lights, while entering turns them back on. The system can even detect when Bourgeous sits down to watch a film and dim the lights for maximum viewing comfort.
But why use Kinect to watch films, when you could be making them? Online production company Triangle Productions are using the sensor to provide cheap motion capture for their upcoming web series Under The HUD. The Kinect data feeds directly in to MotionBuilder, a 3D animation tool, helping executive producer Geoff Richardson to quickly bring his characters to life.
The system does have a few limitations, such as only tracking one actor at a time and not capturing facial motions, so it's not a true replacement for the expensive tools used on Hollywood blockbusters, but it's far, far cheaper. "The future is here, I'm doing motion capture in my living room," says Richardson.
Finally, if you're making a film, you'll need some characters, and what could be better than a mad scientist? A team at the recent DIY event Maker Faire UK hooked up Kinect to a pair of Tesla coils to create the Evil Genius Simulator. The Kinect sensor tracks the height of the would-be nutty professor's hands, which controls the frequency of a sound wave that feeds in to the coils to produce a distinctly evil effect.
That's it for this round of Kinect hacks, but if you've got something you'd like to see in the next edition then contact us here.
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That is pretty cool, however, it's a recipe for burning out CFL bulbs pretty quickly, unless you're still using incandescent bulbs.