I’m a bad driver. Aside from learning how to make a car run, I’ve never really mastered the other intricate processes involved with driving. And Parking? Parking is the bane of my existence. Combined with my obsessive-compulsive nature, I will try over and over again until I feel I’ve got it right, sometimes holding up traffic in the process. Now, if you’re anything like me, then this hack just might be what you need.
If you want to use other than that annoying beeping sensor, here’s a Kinect hack that turns the device into a visual tool to tell you if you’ve done your parking right without having to get out of the car. Using the Kinect’s depth image, the system generates a bird’s eye view of the area and objects behind the vehicle. What’s more, it has several modes that you can tweak and use depending on what suits you – a color camera mode, infrared mode and reverse parking assist mode – and can be changed with a single tap of the screen.
There are also plans of interface of integrating Android functionality, turning your android phone into the screen in which the camera information is displayed.
Now, there are cameras that you can purchase that do the same thing. But this hack would be an interesting project for people who like DIY and enjoy working on their cars.
