Making Things See

Project 5: Tracking the Nearest Object

In order to build useful interactive applications with the Kinect, we need to write sketches that respond to the scene in a way that people find intuitive and clear. People have an inherent instinct for the objects and spaces around them. When you walk through a doorway, you don’t have to think about how to position yourself so you don’t bump into the doorframe. If I asked you to extend your arm toward me or toward some other object, you could do it without thinking. When you walk up to an object, you know when it’s within reach before you even extend your arm to pick it up.

Because people have such a powerful understanding of their surrounding spaces, physical interfaces are radically easier for them to understand ...