CNETAnalysis: Microsoft has announced new functionality for gesture controls and 3D object scanning coming to the Kinect for Windows SDK. At TechFest this week in Redmond, Washington, Microsoft revealed that its Kinect Fusion research project will get wrapped into a future SDK update. Kinect Fusion uses the sensor’s depth data to create detailed 3D models by scanning real-world objects. A user simply moves the Kinect sensor around the object to scan it from all angles, and the sensor uses “hundreds or even thousands of frames” to construct its models. “The amazing thing about this solution is how you can take an off-the-shelf Kinect for Windows sensor and create 3-D models rapidly,” Shahram Izadi, senior researcher at Microsoft Research Cambridge, said. “Normally when you think of Kinect, you think of a static sensor in a living room. But with Kinect Fusion, we allow the user to hold the camera, explore their space, and rapidly scan the world around them.” Pinch-to-zoom coming soon While Microsoft is not talking about when Kinect Fusion functionality will arrive for Kinect, a much closer SDK update will allow Kinect sensors limited gesture control. The update will let the sensor detect when a user opens and closes their hand, which will act as an analog for clicking a mouse or tapping the screen. The hand grip motion will also be used to add pinch-to-zoom gestures, where a user closes both hands and moves their fists together or apart to adjust the zoom level. The gesture control is not quite as sophisticated as the upcoming Leap Motion controller , which can detect up to ten individual fingers, but it is a large step forward for Kinect. Microsoft will update the Kinect for Windows SDK with gesture control in the coming weeks, though has not revealed any plans to bring the feature to Kinect games on Xbox 360. Related Stories Much-anticipated Leap Motion controller shipping in May Ti! ny Freescale KL02 ARM chip bound for swallowable computers
