Game Changer: Is Microsoft Planning Kinect for the Workplace?

By Karla Robinson
February 13, 2012

Microsoft recently launched Kinect for Windows, the first Kinect sensor licensed for commercial use.
“Microsoft Dynamics, the company’s unit that develops enterprise resource planning and customer relationship management (CRM) software applications, is currently exploring business scenarios that could benefit from the use of Kinect technology,” reports ReadWriteWeb.
The workplace version of Kinect would have a wide range of uses in various industries and Microsoft believes it would be especially helpful in fields that require gloves (for safety or sanitation). Using the motion-detection technology bypasses the need to remove gloves.
“Or what about food service? You’ve been in the store where the worker wearing gloves makes your sandwich, then has to remove the gloves to operate the cash register,” said Microsoft Business Solutions Technical Fellow Mike Ehrenberg. “We all see a lot of things in the workplace that don’t make a lot of sense and can be improved.”
ReadWriteWeb added an update to its original post: “On Friday, a spokesperson for Microsoft clarified the company’s plans for exploring Kinect motion-detection technology in the workplace. The spokesperson said no products were currently in development.”

No Comments Yet