UPDATE: The’re newer versions and posts about this software – if you want to test it please have a look at: http://blog.mosthege.net/tag/kindriver/ It’s been only 5 days since MS launched the Kinect for Windows SDK and in three of these days I coded KinDriver (and another small tool I’ll write about too). KinDriver is a dynamic Kinect tracker designed to be used with racing/driving games. We’ve seen Kinect trackers designed for the use w/ games already (talking of FAAST at this point), which may work nicely with ego-shooters or adventure games, but have a huge disadvantage when it comes to driving: They only know 1 or 0, just like the real keyboard. But while you can (an do) tip keys many times in a short period of time on your keyboard, doing so with you whole body is even more exhausting than you think! So I made a tracker that…
Tag: EN
Simple Launcher 2
As some of you may know, I have done an application called ‘Simple Launcher’. It’s purpose is to provide an easy way to have a multitouch user interface to start other applications. By pressing a small button on one of the controls it switches between container and bar-mode. In container-mode the user can drag’n’drop an application to a different container (or bar) and in bar-mode he can scroll through or launch applications. Empty containers will be remove automatically and new ones can be created via a button on the top. The user may also change the background by selecting a .jpg file. (Backgrounds are stored in ./Backgrounds and the selection is saved.) Here is a video of the application running on a HP Touchsmart notebook: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsZMSKe9h2k&w=448&h=252&hd=1] Simple Launcher 2 Demo As all of the controls used in Simple Launcher are derived from MS Surface you need to install the…
Mounting the Kinect
Yes! I’m well-prepared for an the upcoming milestone in human-computer interaction. The expert already knows what I’m talking about. It’s the Kinect SDK. Coming as OpenSource software it will enable some of us (including me ) to make gesture-driven applications. So as a matter of prudence I assembled a mount for my Kinect this morging. Rather than standing below, the camera now sits on its throne on top of the TV screen, so it has the best point of view for one or two persons standing in front of the TV screen and interacting with the computer. Though it was a bit tricky, the ‘throne’ now perfectly fits between the wall and the back of the TV:
Status Report: It’s done :)
After the last package arrived all work was done within less than 24 hours. Take some 24 hours more and even the software is working. (Trust me, making a .exe to a Windows service and run it with admin privileges automatically is not that simple…) The Multitouchvista HID-driver is running in background after automatic logon, started by the task-scheduler (taskschd.exe). The Reactivision software is started from the Autostart-folder, so –sadly- it’s always visible, but the user may toggle the frame equalizer. I got some other software installed as well, e.g.: Firefox 4 Beta, Internet Explorer 9 Beta, Winamp, Windows Live Essentials 2011, VLC, Windows Home Server Connector …and a x64 driver for a low-cost webcam (presently without infrared blocker) ..and some more, of course. Also I changed the Windows Logon-Screen-background with a tool called BackgroundChanger to some self-made image. Below is the table as seen by the webcam: While the…
Frustrated Total Internal Reflection II (EN)
Twitter is over capacity, so .. lets go. After a giant discussion on the colors (4days) of the table we’ve decided to make it look like alder (Erle). But before covering the table with the foil we had to spray it black on the inside. (both together took about two days of diaphoretic work…) Last week I explained the new FTIR modification in the simple version—so here’s the extreme (complicated) one: Basically this is a lot like the simple one, but it’s a lot prettier. But there’s a high price we had to pay for the better look: Drilling holes in a specific angle into a ~1/2” or ~1.5cm piece of acrylic is very tough. Anyway—we did it and glued 96 LEDs in there. (a few days later—today—when everything was wired we noticed that 8 LEDs remained dark b/c they were inverted. It took about 2hours to fix this >.<)…
Frustrated Total Internal Reflection I (EN)
Hooray! The test arrangement for ‘getting the IR into the acrylic from below to get an FTIR-effect’ works. In theory this is how it looks like: The silicone enables the light to travel into the acrylic.. and in reallife.. :/ Place the LEDs with a foam/polystyrene-mount in a flat angle (~30°) on the acrylic and glue them with some transparent silicone (I got some for 7.30€). (the yellow –thing- is from a non-permanent marker…) A few minutes later you can wire the LEDs and turn them and your camera on: Your hand gets lightened up by the LEDs, so place a ‘Hunt for Red October’-DVD-Case in front of them. (turn your head to find Sean Connery in the images ) We get beautiful blobs – even through the 5mm 7D006 projection acrylic All this is done by 8 LEDs. Planned are 48 each side/96 total. Though it is much…