Uses for the Kinect SDK

With Microsoft releasing the Kinect SDK, theres bound to be some good ideas for applications of Microsofts gesture control/depth perception/body tracking technology.  It'll be interesting to see how people apply it.


Pothole detection

 Using Kinects 3D camera coupled to a vehicle, netbook device and a GPS receiver potholes in the road could be automatically detected and recorded (down to position and depth/type of pothole).  Local councils could fit out bin lorries or similar and would have an accurate picture of potholes on their roads just by the lorries doing their day to day task.



Customer monitoring

Using Kinects ability to detect motion and people, it could be possible for shops to monitor traffic in their stores and use it to build up a picture of peak opening hours (so that staff numbers can be increased at these times) or even to analyse the way people move around the store to aid in store design.  It could also aid in post event analysis of fire drills etc to see how people leave the store in a fire drill so as to better site firedoors etc.


I hope to have a play with it myself in days to come, will be interesting to see what an inexperienced programmer such as myself can achieve.