Mastering the Microsoft Kinect: Body Tracking, Object Detection, and the Azure Cloud Services

Know how to program the Microsoft Kinect and use the device for applications that interact directly with humans through gestures and motion. This book covers the mathematics and theoretical background needed for depth sensing, motion tracking, and object recognition while maintaining a practical focus on getting things done. You will learn to track the human body in three-dimensional space, analyze the human motion, and remove the background to isolate the person being tracked. You will see how to recognize objects and voice, and transform between the three-dimensional physical space and a computer’s two-dimensional screen.

The book is written with real-world applications in mind. It provides step-by-step tutorials and source code for common use cases. The author has worked with startups and Fortune 500 companies, and all of the examples are taken directly from the industry. The book’s practical focus simplifies the core principles, removes the clutter, and allows developers to start writing code right away. Also covered is the use of Azure Cognitive Services on Microsoft’s cloud platform and their use for object and voice recognition, enabling your applications to “see” objects and respond to their environment.

What You Will Learn

• Visualize color, depth, and body data
• Calculate angles between different body joints
• Analyze human motion and create fitness applications
• Recognize objects and voice using cloud-powered artificial intelligence
• Remove the background from a scene to create virtual worlds
  

Who This Book Is For

Developers who want to build demanding Kinect apps and games, and those who are looking for a careful balance between theoretical knowledge and practical application that favors the practical. Readers should have a basic knowledge of C# and some familiarity with the Unity3D engine.