Microsoft’s web developers conference – ReMix kicked off tonight with some pretty impressive entertainment from Mr Percival, as well as a preview of HTML5 applications and the Windows Phone Mango update (Qantas app). The most interesting demonstration of all was the the use of Kinect. Toyota say this demonstration of a virtual showroom using Kinect had never before been shown off in public.
The user gestures in front of Kinect, moving side-to-side to rotate the camera around the vehicle. Hand movements are used to select customisations like paint colour while zooming in and out showcasing the detail of the car. Another gesture allows users to explode the 3D model of the car into individual pieces, seeing inside the vehicle, something unachievable with the real thing.
Toyota’s Kinect hack to demonstrate a virtual showroom was impressive, but will surely benefit from Microsoft’s upcoming release of the Kinect SDK.
