This document summarizes the user innovation around the Microsoft Kinect gaming sensor. In 3 sentences: A hacker freed the Kinect hardware from the Xbox in 2010, allowing open access and development of open source software. This led Microsoft to release a software development kit and change their strategy to embrace the user innovation around potential applications like robotics, navigation, and virtual reality. The Kinect is now used widely both by individuals and commercially, with over 20 million units sold and entrepreneurial opportunities emerging in various fields that utilize its 3D sensing capabilities.

1. User Innovation
Team
Lars-Erik Riechert
Henri Starmans
Michele D’Aliessi
Dr. Stefan Haefliger

2. A new way to play
2
4 November
2010
NO
controller
149.99$
© 2012 Microsoft
© 2012 Microsoft
© 2012 Microsoft

3. A new way to play
3
one of the first spots of Xbox 360 Kinect
© 2012 Microsoft

4. Play, play, play!
4
© 2012 Microsoft

5. How it works
5
Microphone array
IR emitter Depth camera
Tilt motor
USB cableColor camera

6. A different perspective
6
HACK IT
10.11.2010
Héctor Martín Cantero
freed the Kinect from the Xbox and made the pure hardware available to users

7. The consequences
7
free access to the hardware
open source software
many potential applications
Microsoft:
“We'll sue you!”
HACK IT
Microsoft:
“Well, that’s fine”
© 2012 Open Kinect

8. Navigation
Kinect “hacks” applications
8
Hacking the Kinect with OpenNI, NITE, and Java - by Andrew Davison
Screen control 3D Modeling 3D Camera Virtual reality
Robotics Interaction Entertainment

9. Microsoft open strategy
9
SDK
“Kinect was not actually hacked. [...] What has happened is that someone [...]
opened the USB connection, which we didn’t protect by design"
Software Kinect Studio Lauched - 16.06.20111
Commercial Windows SDK Launched -1.02.20122
Microsoft Kinect for Windows is sold for 249$3 +100 $

10. Users’ communities
10
$ SDK
‣ Open Kinect - free open souce libraries for Windows, Linux and Mac
‣ Meetup.com - many Kinect users groups
‣ Develop Kinect - programming of Kinect 3D depth sensor
‣ Kinectar - use your Microsoft Kinect sensor as a MIDI controller
‣ Kinect Education:
educator-driven community for developers, teachers, students and
enthusiasts to promote the use of Kinect applications in classrooms
‣ Coding4fun:
dedicated to showing off fun and cool Microsoft products’ applications
Users’ communities
Professional communities
© 2012 OpenKinect © 2012 Kinectar
© 2012 Kinect Education © 2012 Meetup

11. Product Augmentation
11
$ SDK
Empowering users and creating
extension to the core product
Contests Awards
Training
Workshops
Code Camps
Research
Workshops

12. 12
$ SDK
Commercial applications
Software (from robotics to animation)
Advertisment - Interactive Advertisment
Product interactive preview

13. 13
$ SDK
Commercial applications
Josh Cesan playing “Can’t help myself”
© 2012V-energiy© 2012V-energiy

14. 14
Few numbers
over 20 million Kinects sold (as of 19.9.2012)
Microsoft Kinect was ranked 2nd in
"The 10 Most InnovativeTech Products of 2011"
about 75300 videos searching “Kinect” onYouTube
about 15700 videos searching “Kinect hacks” onYouTube
....which means about 21% of the total videos
more than 7640 academic papers on research
and experiments using Kinect
more than 1000 new posts per day on
Kinect Apps and Hacks in forum and communities

15. 15
User Innovation
Intended users: kids and videogame players
Lead users: hackers, programmers and robotic researchers
Potential risks for users: legal consequences, hardware failure
Manufactorer benefits from user innovation:
- totally new and different markets for Kinect
- new product applications (product augmentation)
- product further development (communities, education, ...)
- company image
Kinect resulted in a radical innovation
Many entrepreneurial opportunities:
- Robotics
- Navigation
- Interaction
- Entertainment
- 3D Scanning
- Screen control
- 3D Modeling
- 3D Camera
-Virtual reality
© 2012 OpenKinect

16. 16
Conclusion
© 2012 Microsoft
© 2012 Microsoft

17. Any questions?
© 2012 Microsoft