Development of so-called "smart shelves" which watch customers while they are shopping is just one of many ways of using Microsoft's Kinect technology. Since its launch in November 2010, investigators from various industries had been experimenting with the system in ingenious and diverse applications. After finding a number of uses outside of gaming, Microsoft's Kinect motion-sensing console accessory is fast becoming a hit in the world of medicine.

Microsoft’s brilliant piece of technology seems to know no bounds. Adopted by retail industry, it helps supermarkets to better target advertising based on consumer in-store behavior. Solutions such as HiperKinetic reveal how shoppers react to POS materials or promotion and analyze product before taking decision. Sensors installed above the shelves recognize shopper and all his actions in real time, collecting data on customer behavior and buying patterns. Result? Secret mechanisms behind a shopper's purchase decisions are finally unveiled. But turning market shelves into clever data collectors is just one of many practical uses of this versatile technology.

Doc's new best friend

It appears that Kinect is taking medicine to another level. GestSure Technologies has developed a device that allows surgeons to navigate patient MRI and CT scans in the operating room while maintaining sterility. The doctors at Sunnybrook hospital in Toronto in Canada hooked the Kinect to their medical imaging computer and hacked it so that they can view MRI scans without having to leave the room. Just by waving their hands, they can view and move around the scans and see everything right in front of them. This time- and energy-efficient device helps eliminate the necessity to leave the operating room, disinfect, check the scans, come back and disinfect again. Another imaginative application of Kinect in the world of medicine is currently tested by physical therapy researchers at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center. Xbox Kinect is used by them to develop a home therapy program for stroke patients. The solution involves a home-brewed game called Canyon Adventure, in which patients paddle a canoe down a river, swat bats in a cave, snag litter out of the water, go fishing, navigate the rapids, and catch objects like medical supplies and treasure chests. The program helps patients regain motor control from the comfort of their own homes.

Futuristic hearing aid

Microsoft's Kinect motion-sensing console accessory is also bridging the gap between the deaf and those who can hear. Microsoft researchers are developing a Kinect-based sign language tool that can translate sign into spoken language and back. The Beijing-based team delivered a demonstration model in fewer than six months. Kinect Sign Language Translator is a research prototype that can translate sign language into spoken language and vice versa. The best part is that it does it all in real time. Briefly, Kinect captures the gestures, while machine learning and pattern recognition programming help interpret the meaning. The system is capable of capturing a given conversation from both sides: a deaf person who is showing signs and a person who is speaking. Visual signs are converted to written and spoken translation rendered in real-time while spoken words are turned into accurate visual signs. As impressive as it is, the device still requires improvement. So far, only 300 Chinese sign language words have been added out of a total of 4,000, so there is still some work to do on the new solution. However, its impact on the world of disability could be immense, given that there an estimated 360 million people with hearing impairments around the world.

Sources: http://www.gmanetwork.com; http://thenextweb.com; http://blogs.msdn.com; http://bitshare.cm; http://mashable.com