updated 03:45 pm EDT, Thu August 5, 2010
Details of Kinect's working exposed by patent
Microsoft's patent application for its Kinect motion controller has recently gone public, giving everyone an inside look at how the technology works. The system uses software called PrimeSense to detect the user's movements thanks to a webcam. The camera detects human targets and compares them to a stored pattern of a human body model.
Each target that matches the human body model can be scanned to create a skeletal model associated with it. It then renders an avatar associated with the skeletal model and determines which controls to perform based on the movement of those parts of the body. The system can identify or cross-match at least 25 points on the user's body thanks to its skeleton model.
Kinect was the result of Microsoft acquiring 3DV technology for camera-based recognition but is believed to use newer techniques optimized for the nature of games, such as determining whether someone is sitting or standing. It arrives November 4 in a $150 stand-alone kit or as part of a $299 Xbox 360 Arcade bundle. [via GoRumors]