Kinect Hack Aids Handicapped Grocery Shopping

[PettingZOOPONY]

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.

Actually people have been playing with the PrimeSense sensors for years already doing more amazing things than this, these are the same style of sensor that Israel uses to guard its borders.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PrimeSense

 

[Tom Phoenix]

While it is hard for me to criticise a project which is meant to aid the disabled, I'm afraid I have to agree with...

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

...this. Plus, since stores already have trolleys made in large quantities, they could carry the cost of having such trolleys made (they wouldn't need a lot of them anyway). Whereas specially designed "robotic" trolleys would probably be too expensive for stores to buy, thus forcing the cost onto the handicapped.

 

[XT inc]

I think people would go with the Occam's razor method of selecting handicapped shopper's needs.

In one corner we have a bit of metal with a basket that attaches to the front of the chair.

In the other we bring a fully built, motorized cart using a kinect, a laptop and all the rigging therein to produce a cart that follows the user around with a basket.(that looks harder to use than the front mounting one.) Which on a basic guess would cost 10 times that of its opponent.

I think people are going to go with the much simpler choice, I mean aside from newly handicapped and the elderly, the people Ive met in wheel chairs are quite capable of shopping, save for getting higher up items, which maybe a better use of engineering time.

 

[Cliff_m85]

Kinect Hack helps disabled people.

Odd, the Xbox has beneficial hacks whereas Playstation has.....

 

[HydraMoon]

When I push my grocery cart I just wedge my feet in front of the back wheels. It's not perfect but it works okay. Having a universal clamp might be more problematic that it would first seem. Different wheelchairs have different diameters of tubing, footrest types and also height (some people have much shorter legs in proportion to their body).

I like the hack but wish it was in front of the chair user instead of behind. It's a big pain in the arse to turn around while holding your chair still and putting five pounds of flour in a buggy. I'd love to see a store mapped out so the buggy would know the layout and the sensor facing rearward to the chair user. Make it easier to load the buggy at any rate.

 

[Giest4life]

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.

This is WAY better than Kinectimals.

Pshh. You don't know what you are talking about.

OT: This idea has amazing potential. It could be used for self-parking cars, keeping track of one's kids in the park, or generally having a really, really cool sidekick.

 

[Layzor]

Or a bit of string, whatever works.