Maybe Microsoft Kinect could replace Microsoft PowerPoint someday?
That was my first thought while watching this TED presentation by high-tech magician Marco Tempest, known for his iPhone and iPod magic tricks.
It has been fascinating to see all the unexpected applications for Kinect springing up as Microsoft’s sensor technology expands from the Xbox 360 to Windows. But I’ve never before seen anything quite this advanced.
This latest video from TED was just recently made available online. I spotted it on Long Zheng’s iStartedSomething blog. Tempest explains his approach in this post on the TED blog.
In this piece I try to use magic to prototype or sandbox a possible future where 3D sensors and gestural sensing are intelligent and ubiquitous. Imagine the possibilities of a system like this for day to day communication or education. A digital storytelling tool for the future?
Technically I am combining a HD video camera with the depth camera of a Kinect. I myself become a virtual object on a virtual stage filmed by a virtual camera and projected behind me in real-time. All visuals are generated in real-time and the sleight of hand and augmentation are blended seamlessly to tell the story of storytelling and magic.
Also see this Creative Applications Network post for more background on the project.
