Fraunhofer Center for Assistive Information and Communication Solutions – AICOSDescription:
Nowadays, there are several motion sensors available in the market that can be used as natural user interface for applications.
The Kinect sensor by Microsoft is one of them. This sensor was and is mainly used for games but the scientific community has been finding many areas where this kind of devices can be of major utility. Kinteract is a driver that was developed having in mind the use of gesture recognition to control any application.
Due to the frequent inability of most older adults in interacting with new devices and in order to promote healthy physical movements, this project has the primary goal to integrate the Kinect sensor with a set-top box, featuring a simplified user interface, and providing to the user the ability to interact with that interface by using simple gestures instead of the usual remote control.
This project can be extended with the possibility of exploring the sensor’s microphone array for spoken commands, using the voice as input source. Another topic is the use of Kinteract to promote physical activity through a body positioning game, asking the player to make the position that is shown on screen. Kinect will be used for the detection of skeletal position in order to advance through the game. This way, there will be a strong appeal for the mobility of elderly people, fostering their own health and well-being.
Author: Roxanne Leitão
Type: MSc thesis
Partner: Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto
Year: 2012