Connecting to your robotic hand[writing] with Kinect Writer

While I'm trying to move away from highlighting "inspiration" projects (i.e. those without code or downloads) when Friend of the Gallery,Rosario Barbagallo (TUIO based MultiTouch Kinect (SDK V1.0) for Windows7, Kinect Kuka), emailed me about his latest project, I thought it just too cool not to share it with you (even though it is "just" "inspirational"

Kinect Writer

The project aim is to make a robotic arm easy to use with the kinect. This system provides a simple front end that hides the complexity in the programming of a robotic arm. It’s a system that can work with existing applications, but provides new usage scenarios. If the user lifts only a finger, any kind of events can be generated. For example , drawing or marking specific paths to be tracked can be easily done just by moving the index finger in the space. The Kinect Power!

This software, based on the Microsoft Kinect, uses hand motion detection based on a clustering hand detection algorithm.

The coordinates of the hands are sent to an application that computes the inverse kinematics and the desired robot trajectory.

A raised finger sends an input. With the hand closed, the cursor is displayed on the screen without transmitting touch input.

The method is used to send the coordinates when the finger is detected, then, when the hand is closed the trajectory is considered concluded. It is necessary to keep the hand closed (first) because when the user lifts a finger, the system sends an input signal (touch).

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Project Information URL: http://rosariobarbagallo.com/kinect-writer/

Contact Information:

• Blog: http://rosariobarbagallo.com/
• Twitter: @SaroBarbagallo