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Kinect-driven 'Jellybean' armchair hands-on (video)
Yes, this is what happens when you combine Kinect with a recliner on a motorized platform -- perfectly normal people doing awesome zombie impersonations! This week at Microsoft's MIX 11 web developer conference, the enterprising Clint Rutkas of Coding4Fun / Channel 9 fame showed off his Kinect-driven "Jellybean" armchair on stage during the keynote, and later let our very own Sean Hollister take it for a spin. Sadly, we missed our chance to capture this special occasion on video for posterity when the laptop used to control this armchair overlord ran out of juice in the final stages of our practice run. The motorized platform uses eight batteries, four omnidirectional wheels each with its own motor, and a pair of motor controllers connected to a laptop which interprets the input from Kinect (using the new SDK for Windows) and provides visual feedback to the driver. A gesture interface brings the entire contraption to life and even includes a hand signal to recline the armchair. Take a look at some closeup shots in our gallery below and watch our video of the recliner in action after the break. %Gallery-121299%
2010 Project Natal launch and Xbox Game Room leaked in CES interview
Microsoft's CES keynote doesn't begin for a few hours still, but it looks as it the crux of the consumer electronics news from it is already flowing. Purportedly, a leaked interview (that has since been yanked) showed Robbie Bach, President of the Entertainment & Devices Division, talking up two things of utmost importance. The first of which is Project Natal, which is Redmond's attempt to add full-body interaction to the game console. The news? It's looking like 2010 really will be the year said product hits the shelves, and it's seeming more and more likely that the well-known Natal moniker will stick for retail. The other bit is a so-called Xbox Game Room, which is "supposed to bring back that retro fun to gaming." That's fairly ambiguous, but we can't say that our interest isn't piqued. Hang tight for what we hope will be the official announcement later this evening -- the day has only just begun, you know? Update: We've got the full interview! Catch it after the break!
