Will people ever run out of ideas when it comes to using the Microsoft Kinect? Not anytime soon, it would seem.
In the latest instance of people getting creative with the Kinect, 3D scanning company Artec Group has developed a service where folks at home can create 3D scans of their body using their own Kinect and turn that into actual, physical replica figurines of themselves.
Best Holiday ornaments ever, anyone?
Users can scan themselves and upload the file to Artec’s Shapify.me site and to receive a 3D figurine in the mail. (For a fee, of course.) The monochrome or color figurine is 1/20th of a person’s actual height, and requires only a Kinect, Windows 6 x 64 bit or Windows 8, Intel Core I3 or later with at least 4 GB RAM, speakers, a USB 2.0 port, and an internet connection.
Now, while this particular use of the Kinect would need to be filed under “Just for fun,” it is yet another example of how so many clever minds out there are finding ways to use this system, which was originally designed for video games, in novel ways.
As a refresher, here are some cool ways the Kinect is being used today:
- Working toward vision for the visually impaired
- Kinect used to create a touchscreen on water
- Kinect -based sign language interpretation
What’s next for the Kinect? Have any of you seen or read anything you thought was particularly interesting? Or maybe someone has even created their own use of the device? Let us know in the comments below and maybe we will cover it on our blog. Or, feel free to send an email directly to me.
