Kinect controlled helicopter

And we still have room for one more. We have seen an amazing amount of hacks Kinect in recent months, but until the people of Redmond does not step on the accelerator with determination and release titles that go beyond casual play, the best motion control as found in those projects will continue conducted by universities, engineers and enthusiasts alike. On this occasion, nothing less than a Drone AR Parrot, one of the best quadricopter market, controlled by someone who is "passing plane" with arms outstretched.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have another hack Kinect more to share here. We've seen robots controlled Kinect, Kinect simulated instruments, music videos made with Kinect, capture 3D motion capture, augmented reality, invisible, adult games, multiple interfaces, video ... and the list goes on. What controls the Kinect today is not exactly a robot, but not the first time we see him cross swords with the radio-controlled model aircraft. Last December saw the Kinect had been turned into a kind of radar for quadricopter could adapt its flight path dynamically. Today, there is no radar itself, but the Kinect is associated with a quadricopter, this time as a control.
The vehicle is a Parrot AR Drone, which can be controlled with an iPhone or IPAD, and has a flight range of fifteen minutes. The subject of the video does not believe a bird or under the influence of any substance, but is trying to control the quadricopter with their arms, thanks to Kinect detection capabilities. The project is a work of Zickel Engineering, and was presented in the last Kinnernet 2011. The movements do not seem at all related to the reaction of the Parrot in some points, but appears to be more a matter of training of limitations in the interface.


Anyway, it would be more reasonable than the gestures were simplified. Although we have ever tried to be a plane in our childhood, user resistance to having the arms extended is probably much less than the battery of Parrot. On the other hand, something like this opens the door to an interesting way to play outdoors, with the user trying to pass the quadricopter by an obstacle course, hoops and barriers. And we insist the idea of ​​"outdoor", because almost half a kilo moving up to 18 miles per hour is not good for any head at the scene at the possibility of an impact.