Rowing Software & the Kinect

[enrage]

I would love to see a software company, either row pro or some other, to take a giant leap in their software/hardware technology and incorporate the kinect sensors with the indoor rowing machine.
Using the Kinect technology, they could create truly interactive rowing programs that could help the novice and pro rower with their technique & pace. I always had the idea that the same type of "Kinect" interaction rowing software could be used to put you in different rowing environments. Of course you could pick the standard on the water over the bow viewpoint. But what about if you want to increase your pace and have fun at the same time. Pick the Zombie Row feature where you see a hoard of zombies coming after you as you row. Slow down too much and your a quick lunch.

*fingers crossed*. maybe one day.

Kinect for Windows goes v1.0
Today is that day that Kinect makes the official leap to Windows with the release of the Kinect sensor for Windows, the commercial program and a final version 1.0 release of the SDK. Starting today anyone can go buy a Kinect sensor for Windows, hook it up to a pc, write extremely easy code using the SDK, bring it to the market and chance the world! (and maybe make some money in the progress. This will be a game changer in the way we interact with computers!
Kinect for Windows
Buying a Kinect for Window sensor will cost you a bit more than the Xbox version, $249 to be exact, but this will not only give you the sensor, it will also give you a commercial license (something that costs a fortune for the Xbox). So if you think about it this is a very cheap thing indeed!
The software (SDK) that allows you to interface with Kinect has drastically improved during its development, and now with the release of version 1.0 it received some very cool and nifty features!
Use of to 4 Kinect sensors on a single PC (this can create a true 3D image!)
Control over which users should have their skeleton tracked
Near Mode (track stuff that is only 40cm away from the camera)
Far Talk (enhanced speech recognition)
Now we just have to make what kind of genius, innovative and crazy applications developers will come up with. I can’t wait to see the first Kinect for Windows applications!


http://123kinect.com/kinect-for-windows ... 1-0/31114/

[Carl Watts]

To be honest you don't need it and RowPro really beat Kinect to the post anyway and you could argue that even e-row beat it by years.

All that connect does is get you off you backside and get you moving in a video game to improve your health. RowPro is already way ahead with the ability to row online with others from all over the world and it just needs a couple more tweeks for the serious rower and a native MAC platform and it will rock.

The graphics are not the weakness, I would rather have them unchanged and be able to also row on differnt lakes and race venues around the world as well like they had set-up on RowPro at the world champs complete with the audio that included the roar of the crowd from the spectator stand as you went into the last couple of hundred metres it was very cool and motivating to dig it in and sprint to the finish.

[Quatroux]

I wouldn't look at the Kinect as just a gaming interface. It is a motion sensor with immediate potential in the traditional PC space. I see long-term uses outside of traditional computing as well. It could be a cost effective way of capturing human movement – especially if the development kit remains open. Row Pro and other software are limited to what data the monitor can provide. The monitor doesn't tell you if you are rushing the slide or engaging your back too early in the stroke. Kinect *could* be setup to capture human movement that the monitor cannot *see*. In that case, one could expect a rowing program to leverage Kinect to provide technique feedback.

[enrage]

I wouldn't look at the Kinect as just a gaming interface. It is a motion sensor with immediate potential in the traditional PC space. I see long-term uses outside of traditional computing as well. It could be a cost effective way of capturing human movement – especially if the development kit remains open. Row Pro and other software are limited to what data the monitor can provide. The monitor doesn't tell you if you are rushing the slide or engaging your back too early in the stroke. Kinect *could* be setup to capture human movement that the monitor cannot *see*. In that case, one could expect a rowing program to leverage Kinect to provide technique feedback.

exactly. That is what I was foreseeing.

[Volpini]

I would like to develop an application that uses kinect on a pc to correct and improve the rowing technique. I have very goods contacts inside of microsoft and could provide initial funding. Let me know if you have ideas on features or would like to partizipate in the project. I just stated rowing a few month ago and would like to build the app while learning to row.