@dildonicTonic That is some software I wrote that I will be discussing in a blog post (and most likely another video) some time in the next few weeks.

It looks like a lot of people have the same questions, so instead of continuing to respond to them here I'll make a new video and accompanying blog post to answer them all at once.

Great Job! I can see so many potential uses for that! ~ Uki D. Lucas

@Biopony720 The automation system is not run by a regular computer (only the touchscreen+projector at the end of the video are), so the power-efficient automation controller saves electricity in the end (see my response to arakiri78h).

Awesome, i could really see this being used in the future in homes, you should definitely try to expand upon this.

@arakiri78h The Kinect and the controller draw less power than the lights would use if I forgot to turn them off, so even with the Kinect and controller running it saves electricity overall.

@flipballaz93 Yes. I'll be describing it in more detail in another blog post and video some time in the next few weeks.

Lo que se esta haciendo con el Kinect es impresionanten, sin duda.

Be sure to watch my follow-up videos to see improvements to my Kinect software and see my home automation software as well.

This could interface with a Bose home entertainment system to adjust to movement and maintain stereo surround...wherever you move, the speakers adjust volume and gain to "follow you" through out the house.

Also, you can program delays using the Nitrogen Logic Automation Controller. There's an object in Palace Designer called "Logic Delay" that does exactly what you describe.

Hi Khaled, If you use a Nitrogen Logic controller for depth recognition, you can control your lights using a Nitrogen Logic Automation Controller with DMX, a PC-based home automation system running software like HomeSeer with X10 and Insteon devices, some other automation system that supports xAP or generic TCP or UDP protocols, or soon you will be able to use a Depth Camera Controller to control Philips Hue lights directly. Voice is not supported by my controllers, so I can't help you there.

@icedanilzation If you're using a media player that can be remote controlled, then yes it can do that.

I can see the future is limitless , voice recognition with kinect motion detection = pure smart home.

I will be providing more details about the automation system in the future. Subscribe to my blog (at the URL at the end of the video) to stay updated.

@bamamikestl The media software is a simple HTPC frontend I hacked together years ago (with occasional tweaks since then) to run my home theater.

@MrTweetyhack I measured the power consumption in my next video ("Home Automation with Kinect - Followup Q&A") at 4:05. Whether you actually save power depends on how many lights you automate and how often you would forget to turn them off otherwise. The smooth fade on and off also extends the life of the bulbs (though this setup is ideal for LED lamps).

@rayandjoanne This is definitely possible. My screen is visible from my kitchen, though, so I wanted the movie to keep playing.

Bulb life can be reduced by frequent switching. In the case of incandescent bulbs, this is due to thermal shock from repeated heating and cooling. However, I'm not switching the lights on and off, they are smoothly fading. This actually extends their life beyond their rated number of hours. LEDs are the most resilient to switching. They run cooler and don't use mercury vapor. CFLs probably not so much, but it can't be that bad because Las Vegas casinos use thousands of them in displays.

Very slick project. However, how does the system react to multiple people roaming different areas? Especially during the movie example..

@arakiri78h In order to have the lights fade on and off smoothly, I have to use halogen bulbs. I'd love to see a 1000 lumen LED or fluorescent bulb that can be dimmed arbitrarily close to zero. At that point the power savings may not be as great. It depends on how many hours a day the lights are running. There are definitely more power gains that can be made, such as using lower-power motion detectors to trigger the Kinect as you suggest -- this is just an initial prototype of the concept.

In fairness the casinos are probably using CFLs designed to be switched repeatedly. Be sure to check out my newest video where I show how to control Philips Hue LED lights with the Kinect.

Nice work dude !

mike...awesome stuff men!!!

Hello I'm starting a similar project where I can control my home devices using microsoft kinect's voice, depth and gesture recognition, what devices do I need to buy to control my home devices?

Great job. You should do some work on integrating this into LinuxMCE. You could also integrate it so that the media you are playing follows you when you walk into a different room etc. I can also imagine some cool ways of controlling media using the Kinect.

Fantastic. Keep up the good work!

great job with the algorithm dude!!!!

Very impressive man!

well done man that is very very cool

I am impressed!

@fcojavier98 I definitely like it (got it from ubuntu-wallpapers, of course).

what sort of software are you using at the end of this video?

but won't keeping on the computer use more electricity ?

Nice house...

you have awesome home :D

This is great, but conserving energy would mean that your Kinect and the controller turn off as well ;)

@tl880linux Don't get me wrong, it's A GREAT hack! I am curious if you are running power saving bulbs and if not, how the balance will change. How long does it take for the system to boot? You might save even more by activating the Kinect through a simple motion detector :)

good technology but running your controller and Kinect 24/7 negates whatever energy yousave by turning lights on and off. Also, you'll probably go through a few lightbulbs.

interesting

your video was just posted on newscientist watch?v=rzp8OkwvB-k