Microsoft says 3DV acquisition didn't influence Project Natal
By Donald Melanson 
posted June 4th 2009 1:52PM
posted June 4th 2009 1:52PM
When Microsoft shows off a motion-sensing system shortly after it's been revealed that is has acquired a motion-sensing camera maker, it's easy to see how people can draw conclusions that the two are related. But according to Microsoft, that is not the case, and its Project Natal is actually based on work that has been "going on for a long time." That word comes from a VentureBeat interview with Microsoft's Shane Kim, who further added that "none of those rumors did justice to what we were actually doing with Project Natal," and that it's based on a lot of past work Microsoft has done in natural user interfaces, including voice recognition. The folks at Eurogamer were also able to get an even more definitive statement from Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg, who said flatly that "we built this in house." Interestingly, however, Shane Kim did say that Microsoft wants to "ensure that we have great intellectual property protection," and that "it has to be all buttoned up, legally," which could offer a bit more rationale for the 3DV buyout.
[Via Eurogamer]
[Via Eurogamer]
Megallanes,
You do realize that article is from May 2005, the Xbox 360 wasn't even released. Good Job Apple Fan Boy.
I was at CES when 3dv demo'd their amazing technology. While the folks from my company (a major cable network) were being shown the front and back-end (and being blown away by it)by a 3dv exec, there was a dude from Microsoft, wearing a MS shirt, and a MS exhibitors badge VIDEOTAPING the entire demo, which included a live look into how the camera was processing the motion of the player (it looked like the "Predator's" view in that movie). I asked the exec giving the demo if he cared about MS videotaping the whole thing and he said he didn't care who saw what they were doing (I thought I'd at least see some Israeli commando moves). That was in January of 2008. You do the math.
Maybe they cheated maybe they didnt,
Just remember, that technology evolves realy fast.
Oh and i just remembered one thing Natal = Christmas in portuguese, Plzzzz let it be a sign :P
I consider it a really really really smart Patent Grab. If these guys had some patents on their working system and MS was apeing it, it behoved them to grab the company before it became evident they had aped them so the price of the purchase of that company wasn't 20x what they got it for. For a change, SMART MOVE MS.
Fatal error for natal :)
It's not as if there hasn't been much work done by MSR in the technology areas that support Natal.
Over the years, there have been projects like SEER, GWindows, Easy Living (and many others) that explored human-computer interaction through speech and visual recognition:
http://www.nuriaoliver.com/GWindows/GWindows.htm
http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/awilson/
http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/horvitz/seer.HTM
http://cc.bingj.com/cache.aspx?q=%22easy+living%22&d=76121752806992&mkt=en-US&setlang=en-US&w=24e60a5b,1ffd2ad9
Because they publish their research, it doesn't take much digging to find, though with their recent site redisign, some materials, particularly video, for their older projects has to be found via search. The papers are available, however.
This will clarify some recent discussions surrounding GestureTek in the 3D space. GestureTek is the inventor, pioneer and world leader in video gesture control technology for both 2D and 3D cameras. Our software works with 3DV, Mesa, Prime Sense, Canesta and other 3D depth cameras. For more than 20 years, we have been creating 3D tracking technology and evangelizing video gesture control as the next step in computer human interaction. With more than 4000 public installations worldwide, we have a robust library of video gesture control technologies, applications and patents. GestureTek has licensed these patents and technologies in various ways to a multitude of consumer electronics providers, including for PlayStation, Xbox 360, Hasbro and others. GestureTek is proud of the trail we’ve blazed in the area of 3D depth tracking and control and our current leading position in the market today.
Here’s more on GestureTek’s 3D tracking and control software: http://www.gesturetek.com/3ddepth/introduction.php .
Here are some more examples of work that GestureTek was showing prior to Natal and this week’s explosion of interest in gesture control games at E3:
- Beijing Olympics Flight Simulator http://www.gesturetek.com/3ddepth/businesscases/3dexplorer.php
- Two-Handed Control Driving Demo http://www.gesturetek.com/newscenter/media.php?media=58
- Rock em Sock em Robots http://www.gesturetek.com/3ddepth/introduction.php.
Our software is also being used in a 3D tracking interactive digital signage campaign for telecom giant Sprint.
This will clarify some recent discussions surrounding GestureTek in the 3D space. GestureTek is the inventor, pioneer and world leader in video gesture control technology for both 2D and 3D cameras. Our software works with 3DV, Mesa, Prime Sense, Canesta and other 3D depth cameras. For more than 20 years, we have been creating 3D tracking technology and evangelizing video gesture control as the next step in computer human interaction. With more than 4000 public installations worldwide, we have a robust library of video gesture control technologies, applications and patents. GestureTek has licensed these patents and technologies in various ways to a multitude of consumer electronics providers, including for PlayStation, Xbox 360, Hasbro and others. GestureTek is proud of the trail we’ve blazed in the area of 3D depth tracking and control and our current leading position in the market today.
Here’s more on GestureTek’s 3D tracking and control software: http://www.gesturetek.com/3ddepth/introduction.php .
Here are some more examples of work that GestureTek was showing prior to Natal and this week’s explosion of interest in gesture control games at E3:
- Beijing Olympics Flight Simulator http://www.gesturetek.com/3ddepth/businesscases/3dexplorer.php
- Two-Handed Control Driving Demo http://www.gesturetek.com/newscenter/media.php?media=58
- Rock em Sock em Robots http://www.gesturetek.com/3ddepth/introduction.php.
Our software is also being used in a 3D tracking interactive digital signage campaign for telecom giant Sprint.
Facts not in evidence.
The actual interview does not support the claim in the title of this post.
I just might buy an Xbox360 to get Project Natal for the fun of it.
I'd like to scan crazy stuff to Milo, (like a beer) to see what he would do.
LOL!