A recurring theme was evident amidst the rubble that was South Hall on Monday, one day before the doors open to the 100k+ CES attendees that will create a traffic situation only envied by the 405. This theme was gesture recognition technology.
Kinect competitor, Soft Kinetic, showed us their version of the 3D depth camera, a hardware solution that maps its scene by analyzing pixel positioning rather than infrared rays. This means less power and more competitive pricing is on offer. Soft Kinect’s roadmap includes ever nearer-range camera functionality so that gesture technology can be properly optimized for PC experiences, and the miniaturization of hardware so that we may one day find depth cameras embedded in such tight nooks as the smartphone or car dashboard.
PrimeSense, the Israeli manufacturer of Kinect, demonstrated their own gesture-based TV solution that differentiates itself with gesture inputs that are more pull-and-push, than stop-and-wave traffic-controller signals of the Kinect. I preferred this gesture input language, and found the PrimeSense camera to be a lot more responsive than the Kinect. However, we do await the revelation of the new Kinect hardware later this morning, which will be optimized for use with Windows. I am positive that PrimeSense will not leave its highly prized godchild in the dust.
