Microsoft's reboot of Kinect may be giving drones smarter vision and bringing AI to edge computing, but it'll also be at the heart of the next-generation HoloLens 2. Unveiled during Build 2018 this morning, the new Project Kinect for Azure combines an updated version of Microsoft's time-of-flight (ToF) depth sensor with new AI talents.
Kinect is back, and it wants to make the Internet of Things smarter and less reliant on the cloud. Microsoft has taken the wraps off Project Kinect for Azure today at Build 2018, its annual developer event, and if you thought uses for the fiendishly clever depth-sensing camera began and ended with Xbox gaming, think again.
Actually, the Microsoft Kinect accessory “technically” died October 2017 when Microsoft declared that it would no longer be producing any new units. Of course, there were still some stocks on store shelves or floating around the Internet, but, once they ran out, it would be the end. Now, however, even if you could still buy a Kinect, you might no longer be able to use it, as Microsoft has also discontinued the production of the Kinect Adapter which is essential in making the Kinect work on modern Xbox One consoles.
Microsoft's Kinect is officially out of production - neither Kinect for Xbox nor Kinect for PC shall be made henceforth. For those consumers that've been waiting to pick up a Kinect - now's the time. Once stock is gone, it's gone forever. The creators and those influenced by the original release of the Kinect, however, roll forward with projects far out-performing their predecessors.
In just a month or so, Microsoft will be launching a new console. No, it's not the Project Scorpio, of course. Well, half a new console, probably. The Xbox One S is scheduled to go out to the public in August, and as if to confirm that schedule, the Xbox Kinect Adapter for the smaller box can now be pre-ordered with shipping scheduled for August 31. And you'll probably need want to get one soon if you plan on doing anything Kinect related with the Xbox One S, or your Windows 10 PC for that matter.
At E3 2016, Microsoft revealed the new Xbox One S that represents an incremental step forward for the company's console line, at least while waiting for Project Scorpio to take flesh. If the One S is indeed "the future", it might be a future with very few Kinects. That's because, in the process of shrinking the new console, Microsoft removed a few unnecessary parts, which happens to include the dedicated Kinect connection port. Users will have to ask Microsoft for a free USB adapter if ever they want to use the motion sensor with their newer and smaller console.
When taking photos, whether it be of sights or people, sometimes shooting through a window is unavoidable, and that means there's probably going to be glare or reflections. Turns out, researchers at MIT's Media Lab are looking to address this, as their Camera Culture Group is developing a camera that can take photos through glass without any reflections. For their latest project they used the Xbox One's Kinect motion sensor and camera, taking advantage of its depth sensor.
If you have issues with clumps of fur or hair that seemingly move on their own, now would be a good time to look away. Otherwise, proceed at your own risk and be mesmerized, or revolted, by this one of a kind mirror. Not only does it not accurately reflect objects placed in front of it, it actually doesn't have any reflective material at all. Instead, it creates a silhouette "reflection" made up of only two colors and created by an array of 928 faux fur pom poms.
It's hard to deny the fact that the Kinect has all but failed as a gaming device. Despite their initial decisions, Microsoft stopped including the device with all Xbox One bundles, which fractured the install base. And with that, fewer and fewer developers felt the need or desire to implement its features into their games. However, the device is still being used to make breakthroughs in other, non-gaming areas.
Next time your parents claim that nothing good would come from gaming, this little anecdote might tide things in your favor. Of course, it's gaming technology that's in focus here, but we're not going to split hairs. Microsoft's Kinect controller has become one of the most hacked and repurposed gaming peripherals in the market and that kind of modification might soon benefit medicine as well. Researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine have developed a way to reduce radiation exposure when taking X-rays by reusing the technology found in the Kinect.
Since Microsoft started releasing Xbox One bundles without the Kinect, people have been wondering if the device is facing its death. It's definitely a valid concern, since the decision to exclude the Kinect from a majority of bundles leaves the market with a fractured ownership base. When everyone had one, it was easier for developers to justify the integration of features that took advantage of the accessory. Well, tomorrow's Xbox One update will add another nail to the gadget's coffin.
Microsoft may have hit on a mixed jackpot with the Kinect. While Xbox gamers might consider it a very optional, sometimes even unwanted, accessory, makers and tinkerers have flocked to it for how it made 3D scanning technology available the masses at an affordable price. However, it requires to be connected either to an Xbox or to a PC in order to function, which puts hard limits on its portability. But throw in a Raspberry Pi 2 into the mix, one of the most portable computers around, and you're good to go. Literally.