Kinect Hack Dims the Lights So You Don’t Have To

We love Kinect hacks, so when we spotted this latest clever use of Microsoft’s ridiculously popular Xbox 360 accessory, we just had to share it: A hacker put his Kinect to work as a home automation tool.

In this DIY project, a blogger known only as ‘nitrogen‘ makes use of the libfreenect library programming tool to turn the Kinect’s cameras into a home automation sensor of sorts.

The camera detects whether anyone is in the room, and where that person is located. It then uses that information–along with a set of programmed rules–to take appropriate action. For example, it’ll dim the lights if you sit down to watch a movie, or it’ll switch them off if nobody is in the room. It’s a perfectly geeky way of saving energy!

Watch the video below to see the hack in action:

Saving energy and saving lives–is there anything a hacked Kinect can’t do? Check out Nitrogen’s blog for more information on this latest hack.

[via CrunchGear]

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