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Jul 23, 2015 Hey guys, In this project we will take a look on how to connect the Kinect to your computer and make a scan! I am using the Skanect software. I will show you how the software.
Microsoft Kinect is an exclusive controller-free motion sensor add-on peripheral for Xbox 360 that allows users to play the games using own body, literally, without any controller. Though Kinect is currently designed for Xbox 360, Microsoft has plan to link Kinect for use on next version of Windows operating system, rumored to be Windows 8, but hackers who can’t wait have managed to hack the Kinect and developed open source device driver with SDK or API for Kinect.
The device driver for Kinect, a low-level hardware-dependent and operating-system-specific software that acts as a translator between a hardware device and the applications or operating systems that use it, allows Kinect to be installed as a device and interact with higher level computer programs. As such, Kinect can be used on PCs and other devices to take advantage of the color and depth (RGB-D) sensing camera, accelerometer and microphones on Kinect, or control the rotating and tilting motor. The benefits are wide, as Kinect can potentially applies to areas such as robotics, virtual multi-touch, HCI, educational, surveillance, motion capture, people or object tracing, 3D video capturing or scanning and etc.
The device driver for Kinect, a low-level hardware-dependent and operating-system-specific software that acts as a translator between a hardware device and the applications or operating systems that use it, allows Kinect to be installed as a device and interact with higher level computer programs. As such, Kinect can be used on PCs and other devices to take advantage of the color and depth (RGB-D) sensing camera, accelerometer and microphones on Kinect, or control the rotating and tilting motor. The benefits are wide, as Kinect can potentially applies to areas such as robotics, virtual multi-touch, HCI, educational, surveillance, motion capture, people or object tracing, 3D video capturing or scanning and etc.
The open source Kinect device driver is now been published as OpenKinect or libfreenect, first developed by Hector Martin. Actually, the first video demo of Kinect working on Windows 7 was published by NUI Group (AlexP), which has also published separate Windows Kinect driver as CL NUI Platform.
Kinect Software Pc
OpenKinect drivers include all code necessary to activate, initialize, and communicate data with the Kinect hardware. OpenKinect is cross-platform and run on Windows, Linux, and OS X. The drivers will expose an API for C/C++ and managed code (C#).
Download OpenKinect drivers pre-compiled binary for Linux, Windows (both x86 32-bit and x64 64-bit version)and Mac OS X platform from openkinect.org and source code from github.com.
OpenKinect (libfreenect) unofficial port with pre-compiled binaries for Mac OS X and Windows is also available from here.
CL NUI Platform consists of an SDK, API and a stable driver for Microsoft Kinect hardware (Xbox NUI Audio, NUI Camera, NUI Motor and Accelerometer) devices on Windows machines. It also comes with a sample WPF application – CL NUI Device Test, which allows users to control the cameras, move up or down the motor or accelerometer and change the color of LED.
Download CL NUI Platform installer from codelaboratories.com and the overview.
Kinect open source driver demo
Video demonstrating Kinect NUI Motor device controlled from Window 7 with real time accelerometer data displayed.
Kinect Color and Depth Cameras on Windows 7
Color and 3D Depth Sensing with Kinect
Kinect for Xbox 360 is the latest buzz in the gaming world. And here is the tutorial to connect Kinect to Mac. Yes, you read that right, now you can use Kinect with your Mac. For that you need to install the driver for Kinect compatible on Mac.
Kinect is the motion sensor camera which captures your movement and lets you play games. Kinect for Xbox 360 is undoubtedly the next big thing. So, we have got the step by step guide to connect Kinect to Mac for you:
Things You Need
Kinect For Mac
To start with, we need Git and Cmake which is recommended to download and install via MacPorts or fink, or Homebrew. But if you are using Homebrew, make sure that you its latest version.
Create OpenKinect repository
Now, you are required to create an OpenKinect repository and libusb. It is very important to have OpenKinect repository on your Mac, if you are willing to connect Kinect to Mac. Here are the commands to do it:
Patch Libusb For OpenKinect
Next, you need to patch libusb for OpenKinect. You can do that by executing following commands:
cd libusb
./autogen.sh
patch -p1 < ../libfreenect/platform/osx/libusb-osx-kinect.diff
./configure
make
sudo make install
Configure OpenKinect
Microsoft Kinect Software
Now you need to configure your OpenKinect. It is necessary to do it, in order to connect to Kinect to Mac. You can configure OpenKinect by executing following commands:
cd ../libfreenect/
cd c
mkdir build
cd build
ccmake ..
Once you done with executing the commands, press “c”. This should actually start configuring OpenKinect, but this will not happen as the system cannot find libusb which is crucial while you try to connect your Kinect to Mac.
So, press “e”, which will exit and then you can manually edit the path to libusb, so that it can detect it. Point it as
/usr/local/include/libusb-1.0/
And now, you can continue.
Build OpenKinect
Once you done with the configuration part, you need to build the OpenKinect which actually lets you connect your Kinect to Mac. Here are the commands:
cmake ..
make
You also have an option to build OpenKinect as an Xcode project. To do that, execute below commands:
cmake -G Xcode ..
make
That is all. Now, you can done with all the technical part required to connect Kinect to Mac. Now, you can find the program labeled as “glview” in the path libfreenect/c/build/examples.
This is how you are required to connect Kinect to Mac. Follow these steps and you can access your Kinect for Xbox 360 on your Mac too, as you have successfully installed Kinect drivers on your Mac.
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