Sign-ups for Microsoft’s Kinect SDK

Check our our full in depth Kinect SDK page for updated info on the Kinect SDK.

As May 16 draws near, we’re hearing more news about the much anticipated Kinect SDK. With features that promises more stream lined and user friendly content, the SDK will undoubtedly push the Kinect revolution to a whole new level.

Be one of the very first developers to get the SDK and use it to produce and develop concept hacks for entertainment, utility, art, robotics and the like.

There have been different promises about the Kinect’s SDK as well as pro’s and con’s of the software development kit. Here are the expected features taken from the Microsoft Kinect SDK website:

• The latest advances in audio processing, which include a four-element microphone array with sophisticated acoustic noise and echo cancellation for crystal clear audio.
• Sound source localization for beamforming, which enables the determination of a sound’s spatial location, enhancing reliability when integrated with the Microsoft speech recognition API.
• Depth data, which provides the distance of an object from the Kinect camera, as well as the raw audio and image data, which together open up opportunities for creating richer natural user interface experiences.
• Highly performant and robust skeletal tracking capabilities for determining the body positions of one or two persons moving within the Kinect field of view.
• Documentation for the APIs and a description of the SDK architecture.
• Sample code that demonstrates how to use the functionality in the SDK.

For one, the SDK promises to have compiled version of all necessary tools in exploiting the Kinect’s technology. This means that hackers will look no further to involve other toolkits aside from the one Microsoft will provide. Also, the SDK will feature a more stable and user-friendly directory/interface that will make it easier for developers to identify the tools needed for their research. There are some downsides to the coming SDK. For one, the design of the SDK is not as open as the Kinect device. Rumor has it that although the features and organization will be fast, Microsoft’s version will not be open for further tweaking by outside developers. Also, there is a strong possibility that the full SDK will not be released this March 16. As Microsoft reiterated, they will be releasing commercialized version of the SDK, one that requires a fee in order to own. We could expect then that we won’t be able to experience the full prowess of the SDK until the commercial version is released.

Nevertheless, the SDK is almost here! Subscribe to the Microsoft Kinect SDK website by signing up! Visit the website here.

Visit Website