[Dick Tracy]'s watch gets night vision

February 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

After getting his hands on an Android-enabled wristwatch, [Paul] wanted to test the limits of his new hardware. We’ll assume he’s happy with his purchase because his finished build sends data from a Microsoft Kinect to his wristwatch, making it a night vision spy watch.

[Paul]’s new toy is a WIMM One Android wristwatch that comes complete with wi-fi and a copy of Android 2.1. To get night vision onto his watch, a Kinect on [Paul]’s desk streams depth data to his watch using OpenCV. The result is a camera that gathers depth data in the dark and sends it to [Paul]’s watch.

Whenever the movement of an intruder is detected, [Paul]’s watch vibrates and displays the depth image taken from the Kinect. If the intruder gets close to the Kinect, the face is picked up and also sent to the watch. To get the intruder out of the room, [Paul] can tap the face of his watch to turn on a remote alarm and sound an intruder alert. It’s a very neat project that would have been unimaginable a few years ago.

Filed Under: android hacks, Kinect hacks Tagged With: ,

Replacing a phantom limb with a Kinect

February 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Nearly everyone has heard of phantom limb syndrome. It occurs sometimes after a limb is amputated, but the mind of the patient still thinks that the limb is attached. Generally regarded as a mix-up in the wiring of the damaged nerves, a phantom limb can be very painful. [Ben] has been working on a way to alleviate some of the pain and frustration associated with a phantom limb and fortunately for us he went for a Kinect, VR goggles, and gyroscope build.

Today, most therapies for phantom limb syndrome use a Ramachandran Mirror Box. The theory behind the mirror box is pretty simple – if someone recently lost a hand, just insert one hand in one side of the box and the arm stump on the other side. Looking into the box from the side with the good hand will trick the patient’s brain into thinking the amputated hand is still there. It’s a good therapy that has been very successful, but [Ben] thought he could do something that is a little more immersive.

[Ben]’s project uses a Kinect and VR goggles to put the patient in a virtual environment. With the help of a few gyroscopes, the patient gets a virtual representation of their whole self projected into their goggles. The technique isn’t terribly different from VR phobia treatment, although there’s much more electronics and math involved in [Ben]’s build. The first test subject said his pain was going down, so it looks like he might have a success on his hand (no pun intended).

Check out the demos of [Ben]’s treatment plan after the break.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Kinect hacks, Medical hacks Tagged With: ,

Kinect for Windows released

February 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Even though we’ve seen dozens of Kinect hacks over the years, there are a few problems with the Kinect hardware itself. The range of the Kinect sensor starts at three feet, a fact not conducive to 3D scanner builds. Also, it’s not possible to connect more than one Kinect to a single computer – something that would lead to builds we can barely imagine right now.

Fear not, because Microsoft just released the Kinect for Windows. Basically, it’s designed expressly for hacking. The Kinect for Windows can reliably ‘see’ objects 40 cm (16 in) away, and supports up to four Kinects connected to the same computer.

Microsoft set the price of Kinect for Windows at $250. This is a deal breaker for us – a new Kinect for XBox sells for around half that. If you’re able to convince Microsoft you’re a student, the price of the Kinect for Windows comes down to $150. That’s not too shabby if you compare the price to that of a new XBox Kinect.

We expect most of the builders out there have already picked up a Kinect or two from their local Craigslist or Gamestop. If you haven’t (and have the all-important educational discount), this might be the one to buy.

Filed Under: Kinect hacks, news Tagged With:
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