Flying Objects and Moving Parts...

I am happy to report that the Kinect is now integrated with Looking Glass, and I have been able to move Looking Glass objects and characters in response to user's movements.  This week I have been working on a therapy game in Looking Glass - Alien Robot versus UFOs.  This game utilizes the left hand joint data from the kinect, and moves an alien robot in response to the user's left hand movements (although this game could be optimized for right hand, right elbow, or left elbow).  The purpose of the game is to help the user increase the range of motion in their left shoulder.  In the game, there are several UFOs on the screen, and the goal of the game is to hit each UFO one time.  The UFOs are placed on the screen in strategic locations to encourage the user to use their full range of motion.  As they hit each UFO, the UFO disappears and the game score increments by one point.  Once the user has hit every UFO, the scoreboard displays the message "You Win!".  This game can be adjusted for persons of differing abilities.  Before launching the game, a sensitivity factor can be changed from "1" to any whole number greater than 1.  Setting the value to 1 is appropriate for users with a full range of motion, while higher values (such as 10) will work for users with a limited range of motion.  I am putting the finishing touches on the game, but will share it soon!

In addition, this week I have tested my kinect methods on some of Paul's games.  I have created a version of Paul's helicopter game the moves the helicopter up and down in response to the user's right hand.  I have also made a version of Paul's wolf ball game that moves the wolf in all directions in response to the user's right hand (this game can be modified so that the wolf moves in response to the user's left hand, left elbow, or right elbow).

I have also begun work on animating a Looking Glass biped character.  The kinect gathers absolute joint data, while Looking Glass characters are animated using relative joint data.  This past week I have spent quite a bit of time on animating a biped character's right and left arms.  It has been an exciting week!