How Kinect Is Branching Out From Its Video Game Roots

By Pedro Hernandez

A DARPA-funded project called SimSensei uses a virtual persona linked to Kinect to detect the nonverbal signs that someone is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD affects 11 to 20 percent of veterans who recently served in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Microsoft Dynamics CRM team in the United Kingdom has cooked up a prototype of a Kinect-based way of visually exploring CRM. With a few gestures, users can easily spot business opportunities in a 3D model that represents the relationships among customers.

Not everyone is a 3D modeler. Microsoft’s 3D Builder application for Windows uses Kinect to capture real-world objects, allowing users to edit, resize and ultimately 3D print objects.

Imanova, a positron emission tomography (PET) imaging specialist is testing Kinect in a program aimed at clearing up blurry brain scans. The sensor’s ability to detect slight movements can help remove artifacts from diagnostic images, enabling researchers to get a clearer view inside patients’ brains.

At the Future Food District at Milan Expo 2015, shoppers could get information on any one of 1,500 grocery products simply by pointing at an item. Two hundred Kinect for Xbox One sensors and a custom application from Accenture and Avanade showed visitors all they probably ever wanted to know about the produce they picked up, including when they were picked and where they were warehoused.

At the 2015 National Retail Federation Big Show conference, NEC showed off interactive digital signage that reacts to a customer’s presence. Using NEC’s facial recognition and demographic software, it can also collect anonymized demographic data to help retailers fine-tune their in-store marketing efforts.

Beijing Trainsfer Technology Development, a Chinese technology company, is using Kinect to create interactive water fountains that can spray water in concert with an onlooker’s actions.

Guru Training Systems, a Belgium-based sports technology company, uses Kinect to provide its My Swinguru and Swinguru Pro software solutions with 2D and 3D captures of a golfer’s swing, enabling them to provide immediate feedback.