Kinect Hack Aids Handicapped Grocery Shopping

[Greg Tito]

Kinect Hack Aids Handicapped Grocery Shopping

A Portuguese project uses Kinect to help wheelchair-bound customers use a shopping cart.

Kinect hacks have ranged from lewd to juvenile to pretty neat, but I think the wi-GO is by far one of the most practical uses for Microsoft's motion sensor that I've ever seen. We often don't realize how difficult it is for handicapped people to perform basic tasks like shopping for groceries, as the first half of the video by Luis Carlos Inácio de Matos from the University of Beira Interior in Covilhã, Portugal demonstrates. Luckily, the second half shows how a prototype device uses Kinect to have a cart follow behind a man in a wheelchair automatically.

[vimeo=24542706]

"With the aim of building a barrier-free society, the project wi-GO is a robot system based on sensor technology Kinect that enables the disabled person, but also the elderly and pregnant women, among others, carry objects without difficulty, comfortably and safely," said de Matos.

I don't know how feasible it is for every handicapped person to have their own Kinect-powered cart following them around, but I think it's a really cool idea. Maybe grocery stores can start buying these devices instead of the Lark-type things they have in the U.S. now.

Source: Dashhacks [http://vimeo.com/24542706>wi-GO via <a href=]

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[Airsoftslayer93]

Im pretty sure ive seen trolleys that can be hooked/attached to the front of wheelchairs which are far simpler, cheaper and more reliable than this, whether they have some unseen disadvantage that i dont know about remains to be seen, but surely it wuld be easier to implement those than use this admitadly remarkable piece of technology

 

[dalek sec]

I swear I'm starting to see Kinect less as a gaming device and more of a "let's see what you guys can come up with" tool, not that's a bad thing.

That's pretty impressive and glad to see it can be used to help people out.

 

[Speakercone]

I swear I'm starting to see Kinect less as a gaming device and more of a "let's see what you guys can come up with" tool, not that's a bad thing.

That's pretty impressive and glad to see it can be used to help people out.

There are games for Kinect? :O

Im pretty sure ive seen trolleys that can be hooked/attached to the front of wheelchairs which are far simpler, cheaper and more reliable than this, whether they have some unseen disadvantage that i dont know about remains to be seen, but surely it wuld be easier to implement those than use this admitadly remarkable piece of technology

You're right, it's not cost effective to have a £100 piece of equipment in every trolley. On the other hand, this is a promising tech demo.
Think of a similar system built into a car, for example. There's similar systems in some cars which can detect a crash and apply the brakes early, thus preventing serious injury, but how about a car which could swerve the car to avoid an accident, and do it safely. There's some potential here.

 

[Poisoned Al]

It looks like the only thing the Kinect CAN'T do is have good games.

 

[Torrasque]

I swear I'm starting to see Kinect less as a gaming device and more of a "let's see what you guys can come up with" tool, not that's a bad thing.

That's pretty impressive and glad to see it can be used to help people out.

I agree.
As far as gaming technology goes, the Kinect is using some pretty old tech.
All the things that I've seen people do with the Kinect, is much more interesting and innovative than the Kinect as a gaming system ever was.

And this may seem like a redundant use of technology, but its just baby steps guys.
You see something like this now, how long will it take to have a cart follow behind someone in a wheel chair, the person point at a product, and the cart grabbing it for them?
BABY STEPS GUYS!

 

[josemlopes]

Portugal FTW! (c'mon, its not everyday I get to say this lol)

But yeah, Kinect apparently is really good at helping society, nice to see that they arent using it to create Skynet with weaponised Kinects.

Although for this particular case I would prefer a remote controlled cart instead of having him follow the handicapped person behind him.

 

[ThunderDumpling]

Very cool

 

[OverweightWhale]

Looks awesome. The only concern I would have is since it's behind you most of the time. Someone could swipe the computer or other components and run.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

I swear I'm starting to see Kinect less as a gaming device and more of a "let's see what you guys can come up with" tool, not that's a bad thing.

That's pretty impressive and glad to see it can be used to help people out.

But this is the sad thing. In the hands of Microsoft, it's just going to be used to up their sales - not to help in all the things that modders can come up with.

 

[Nurb]

If this was sony's product they'd probably haul him into court for showing modifications that weren't intended for their product... then push his chair over

 

[Frotality]

huh...more evidence that the kinect is better as anything BUT a gaming platform. glad to see someone using the tech for something with a purpose, limited as it may be in its infancy.

 

[ckam]

Wow. That's pretty cute. I mean, it doesn't have any good games, but it's still awesome.

 

[Aerograt]

Looks awesome. The only concern I would have is since it's behind you most of the time. Someone could swipe the computer or other components and run.

That's what I was thinking, although the modders can probably come up with some anti-theft system which shocks strangers who touch the cart or something.

 

[ImprovizoR]

It seems like Kinect does everything except what it was supposed to do in the first place. Not a bad thing seeing how the thing it was supposed to do is useless by it's very definition.

 

[Catchy Slogan]

What if someone decided to be a dick and stand imbetween the trolley and try to get the trolley to follow them instead.

Im pretty sure ive seen trolleys that can be hooked/attached to the front of wheelchairs which are far simpler, cheaper and more reliable than this, whether they have some unseen disadvantage that i dont know about remains to be seen, but surely it wuld be easier to implement those than use this admitadly remarkable piece of technology

Also, just this.

 

[Hamster at Dawn]

It needs to be able to grab things off high shelves for you, then it would be a lot more useful. At the moment, it's cool but basically just does the same thing as tying a bit of rope between the wheelchair and cart.

 

[Weaver]

Couldn't he have just tied a rope to a cart?

 

[Dutch 924]

Microsoft knew it would be successful, but nobody thought it would have this kind of potential. Microsoft has made a huge step forward in technology, without even knowing it.