Kinect hack gives you magic powers over Roomba

The Microsoft Kinect has proven itself to be more than a gaming tool that is to be enjoyed by millions in the world over, as enthusiasts have taken the Kinect to do so much more. One of the latest (and most interesting) hacks to date would be getting the Roomba to obey gesture commands, as long as the Kinect’s sensor is connected to a PC. Said sensor will communicate with the Roomba through a tiny Bluetooth dongle, where driving and steering commands are sent to it based on the positions of your hands and hips. This is the perfect hack to trick your nephews and nieces into thinking that you are Luke Skywalker’s long lost descendant, and still wield mastery over the Force. Of course, this overriding of the Roomba makes it redundant since the robotic vacuum cleaner is supposed to go about its tasks without having you bothering it (or it bother you), but that certainly detracts from the coolness factor. A video of this setup in action is available after the jump.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Gaming, Robots, Top Stories
Tags: DYI, Hacking, Kinect, Mod, roomba