PrimeSense and Asus to Launch WAVI Xtion Gesture-Controlled User Interface

By Eliane Fiolet on 01/02/2011, filed in Home > Computers

PrimeSense products include the PS1080 System on Chip, NITE middleware, and the PrimeSense3D sensor (picture above), plus cross-platform enabling software.

[CES 2011] PrimeSense is the company developing the hardware powering Kinnect, its Immersive Natural Interaction solutions, will be embedded in WAVI Xtion, a user interface developed by ASUS. WAVI Xtion is a media center software for the PC that allows users to interact with media content in the living room without the need of a controller. Using natural gestures, people can browse the internet, access media content and eventually play games, when developers will get their hands on Xtion PRO, the world’s first PC-exclusive 3D sensing professional development solution.
Xtion PRO is expected to be available in February 2011. Developers will be able to sell their apps in the upcoming Xtion online Store.
WAVI Xtion is scheduled to be commercially available during Q2 2011 and released worldwide in phases.

Wow! that’s great news, we can expect an expansion of the video game market just like when the Wii hit the shelves a few years ago. Since PrimeSense is selling its 3D sensing technology to multiple OEMs, we bet that we will see more of this in the near future! We hope that all PC manufacturers will adopt a standardized solution. PrimeSense recently launched OpenNI (Open Natural Interaction) consortium, a nonprofit organization that aims to accelerate the development of Natural Interaction applications. (http://www.openni.org). OpenNI developed the OpenNI framework which provides an API for coding applications using Natural Interaction. This API enables communication with both low level devices (e.g. vision and audio sensors), as well as high-level middleware solutions (e.g. for visual tracking, using computer vision).

CES: CES is the acronym for the (International) Consumer Electronics Show, one of the largest consumer-electronics shows in the world. Although it is held in Las Vegas today, the first CES happened in June 1967 in New York City and Bob Gavin, the CEO of Motorola was the opening keynote speaker for that first edition. Subsequently, CES was held twice a year: the summer edition was in New York, and the winter edition was in Las Vegas, that is, until 1998 when CES became a once-a-year show. CES has been the introduction place for key products and technologies, including: Pong (1975), Nintendo NES (1985), Tetris (1988), Compact Disc (1991), HDTV (1998), Xbox (2001), Blu-Ray (2003), OLED TV (2008). Check our latest CES Coverage

About the author: Eliane Fiolet is the co-founder and editor of Ubergizmo.com where she writes about smart devices, web applications, design and usability. In her parallel life, she owns a Corporate ID design business that helps companies create great brands. Prior to opening her own agency, Eliane worked for a top design firm, Minale Tattersfield Design Strategy, where she created identities for Fortune 500 companies. She also worked in the video game industry as a designer for an award-winning adventure game. Eliane holds a master degree in visual communication and design from the “Art Décoratifs” college and she majored in mathematics and physics in high school. Follow the author on Facebook, Twitter

Join a great community!