Kinect Merges Real and Virtual Worlds

Microsoft's Kinect Xbox controller, which lets gamers control on-screen action with their body movements, has been adapted in hundreds of interesting, useful, and occasionally bizarre ways since its release in November 2010. It's been used for robotic vision and automated home lighting. It's helped wheelchair users with their shopping. Yet these uses could look like child's play compared to the new 3D modeling capabilities Microsoft has developed for the Kinect. KinectFusion, a research project that lets users generate high-quality 3D models in real time using a standard $100 Kinect.

KinectFusion also includes a realistic physics engine that allows scanned objects to be manipulated in realistic ways. The technology allows objects, people, and entire rooms to be scanned in 3D at a fraction of the normal cost. Imagine true-to-life avatars and objects being imported into virtual environments. Or a crime scene that can be re-created within seconds. Visualizing a new sofa in your living room and other virtual interior design tricks could become remarkably simple. 3D scanners already exist, but none of them approach KinectFusion in ease of use and speed, and even desktop versions cost around $3,000.

More information:

http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/38731/

http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/projects/surfacerecon/