DIY Home Automation using the Kinect

 

 

We’ve seen plenty of superb Kinect hacks in the past, and this home automation project is paving the way forward for more.  The hack uses a Kinect to determine a user’s location within a room and control the lighting accordingly.  For example, if the user sits down on a couch to watch TV, the lights dim.  Since lighting can be achieved using basic motion sensors, we’ll likely see other home automation Kinect projects which incorporate more advanced gesture recognitions.

http://hacknmod.com/hack/diy-home-automation-using-the-kinect/

OmniTouch: Wearable Multitouch Interaction Everywhere

Thinking of using this software for a major project, looking at other free open software as well.

Today’s mobile computers provide omnipresent access to information, creation and communication facilities. It is undeniable that they have forever changed the way we work, play and interact. However, mobile interaction is far from solved. Diminutive screens and buttons mar the user experience, and otherwise prevent us from realizing their full potential.

We explored and prototyped a powerful alternative approach to mobile interaction that uses a body-worn projection/sensing system to capitalize on the tremendous surface area the real world provides. For example, the surface area of one hand alone exceeds that of typical smart phone. Tables are often an order of magnitude larger than a tablet computer. If we could appropriate these ad hoc surfaces in an on-demand way, we could retain all of the benefits of mobility while simultaneously expanding the interactive capability. However, turning everyday surfaces into interactive platforms requires sophisticated hardware and sensing. Further, to be truly mobile, systems must either fit in the pocket or be wearable.

We present OmniTouch, a novel wearable system that enables graphical, interactive, multitouch input on arbitrary, everyday surfaces. Our shoulder-worn implementation allows users to manipulate interfaces projected onto the environment (e.g., walls, tables), held objects (e.g., notepads, books), and their own bodies (e.g., hands, lap). A key contribution is our depth-driven template matching and clustering approach to multitouch finger tracking. This enables on-the-go interactive capabilities, with no calibration, training or instrumentation of the environment or the user, creating an always-available interface.

Reference

Harrison, C., Benko, H., and Wilson, A. D. 2011. OmniTouch: Wearable Multitouch Interaction Everywhere. In Proceedings of the 24th Annual ACM Symposium on User interface Software and Technology (Santa Barbara, California, October 16 – 19, 2011). UIST ’11. ACM, New York, NY.

 

 

http://www.chrisharrison.net/index.php/Research/OmniTouch

Martin Story Ideas

http://www.inklesstales.com/games/draw.shtml.

Inkless Tales: Animated Alphabet, online stories, the Mathematical Mother Goose, music and more

www.inklesstales.com

If you don’t see anything in the middle of this page, you may need the latest Flash plug-in. It only takes a few moments to .

http://www.ps4k.com/kids-stories/the-moonstaliens-mission-milk/chapter-1.html

Funny Alien Children’s Story – The Moonstaliens: Mission Milk! – Chapter 1

www.ps4k.com

Join aliens Kezo & Yax on a mad milk-finding mission to Earth. Fail and the Moonstalien race explodes into extinction!

http://www.squiglysplayhouse.com/Games/Flash/Educational/Numbers/index.php

Numbers

www.squiglysplayhouse.com

An addictive game that tests your adding skills. Numbers is a mathematical game sure to test your adding skills.

Our Third Idea

We plan on creating a interactive projection system, that can be used on any suitable surface to create a motion and touch sensitive display, that focuses on both education and fun.
By using a reward system we aim to guide kids age 4 – 6 to an introduction to digital art, maths and basic writing skills

By focusing on Maths and simple letters we aim provide kids with the basic writing and math skills and to bring them into the digital age.

Here are a few links of children’s learning games in which we want to incorporate into the learning wall.

http://armorgames.com/play/10638/sugar-sugar

http://www.knowledgeadventure.com/5-year-old-games.htm

http://www.learn4good.com/games/online.htm

http://www.agame.com/game/artpad.html

http://www.agame.com/games/drawing/drawing.html

http://www.agame.com/game/paper-cutting-2.html

http://www.agame.com/game/draw_your_own_cartoon_character.html

http://www.agame.com/game/sketch.html

http://www.agame.com/game/paint-wars.html

Sugar, Sugar | Puzzle & Skill Games | Play Free Games Online at Armor Games

armorgames.com

Providing the internet with the very best in casual gaming.

Our Second Idea

Are second idea was then a interactive video, which was a thriller. It was about a gambler who got into a dilema and owed some people money. The theory behind it was that the user could pick one out of two choices e.g( To cheat or not to cheat, while playing a game of poker) and whatever choice the user picked, it would lead the user off into diferent secnario’s. But we kept coming to a dead end trying to think of endings for it.
Heres an example of the feel and look we were going for.

www.bankrungame.com/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFVkzYDNJqo

Bank Run – iPhone Game and Interactive Action Movie

www.bankrungame.com

Available online and for the iPhone. Your employer has turned against you and wants you dead. Even worse, they are holding your girlfriend hostage until you comply with their demands. Bottom line: It’s kill or be killed in this movie/game adventure.

Our First Idea

Are first idea was a maths game for kids, that would make learning maths fun, but we were put off by it because it had to be very polished for kids, to be any good.
Heres an example of what we were going to go for.

http://www.kidsnumbers.com/st-pats-math-adventure.php

http://www.fun4thebrain.com/addition/alienmunchadd.html

St. Pat’s Math Adventure Game By KidsNumbers.com

www.kidsnumbers.com

Astronomy GamesBiology GamesDinosaur GamesGeography GamesGeology GamesHistory Games Math GamesMemory GamesSpelling GamesMore Games

Why we joined?

We joined a group with each other because we could rely on each member to be in and to put in the work and efort and we could combine each of are ideas together.

Each of are first ideas:

~ Richie Hunt – Fun theory
~ Shane Dunne – Interactive Wall
~ Niamh Burke – Kids History Game
~ Martin O Brien – Maths game for kids + Flora and Fauna of Ireland