Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Menu
Search
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • PC Hardware

    Microsoft Brings Kinect Into the UWP Fold With Windows 10 Update

    By
    Pedro Hernandez
    -
    May 17, 2016
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      Kinect

      Kinect’s heyday may have come and gone, but Microsoft still stands behind the low-cost sensor. In the upcoming Anniversary Update for Windows 10, the company plans to help developers who have jumped aboard Microsoft’s Universal Windows Platform (UWP) application model to exploit Kinect’s capabilities and integrate them into their software.

      UWP apps are code-once, run-anywhere affairs, allowing developers to target multiple Windows device classes without having to rewrite their software for each. In practice, developers can write a Windows 10 UWP app for the PC and it will run on Windows 10 smartphones, tablets and even the Xbox One video game console with little to no modification to the underlying code.

      The trouble with UWP, at least as it pertains to Kinect, is that apps written for the platform cannot access most of the sensor data generated by the hardware. “Today, there are several sensors that can provide rich correlated data, such as RGB, IR or depth information,” wrote Microsoft’s Kinect for Windows team in a blog post.

      Microsoft plans to remedy this with this summer’s Windows 10 Anniversary Update, an updated driver and a new software development kit.

      “To make such data available to app developers in a device-independent manner, we introduced the Windows.Media.Capture.Frames APIs, a set of extensions to Media Capture that add frame-by-frame access to RGB, IR [infrared] and depth data, as well as sensor correlation to the traditional image and video-capture features, all with a consistent, familiar programming model,” continued the company’s staffers. Media Capture is a Windows runtime API that enables the operating system to capture video and audio content.

      The expanded programming model also allows access to custom data streams from Kinect, a capability the company is relying on to enable skeleton tracking for UWP apps.

      Kinect’s skeleton-tracking features allow developers to detect the positioning of a user’s body parts, allowing them to interact with software by gesturing or simply moving around. In the second half of 2016, Microsoft plans to release a supplemental SDK for Kinect that can decode custom streams. Microsoft noted that the Anniversary Update will also enable developers to use the company’s face analysis APIs (Windows.Media.FaceAnalysis) with Kinect hardware to track and detect faces.

      Other tech companies are interested in bridging the virtual and physical worlds.

      Earlier this year, it was revealed that Apple acquired Emotient, an artificial-intelligence startup. Emotient’s cloud-based technology analyzes people’s facial expressions and detects their feelings, allowing organizations to gauge their emotional reactions to ads and other content.

      Last year, Apple acquired Faceshift, a technology startup from Switzerland. Faceshift’s motion-capture technology can capture a user’s facial expressions and replicate them using animated avatars. Recently, Apple was awarded a patent for a technology that may lead to iPhone and iPad screens that can register user inputs without having to touch the screen. Using proximity sensors that detect fingers, palms and other objects, Apple devices may one day allow users to launch and interact with apps by gesturing just above the display.

      Pedro Hernandez
      Pedro Hernandez is a contributor to eWEEK and the IT Business Edge Network, the network for technology professionals. Previously, he served as a managing editor for the Internet.com network of IT-related websites and as the Green IT curator for GigaOM Pro.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      eWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

      Zeus Kerravala - November 18, 2020 0
      There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
      Read more
      Apple

      Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

      Wayne Rash - November 26, 2020 0
      If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
      Read more

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×