FingKinector - Interacting with the Kinect Motor

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The pivot which connects the Kinect sensor to its base is motorized. This post is about an app called 'FingKinector', which is developed to utilize that motorized pivot without having to rotate the Kinect sensor manually. This is tested only on the Kinect sensor for XBOX 360 and developed for Windows 7.

"K.I.S.S. = Keep It Stupid, Simple"

Image 1: Kinect Sensor for XBOX 360, equipped with a wide-angle lens.

To be able to control the Kinect sensor from a PC, you will need an AC-adapter for your Kinect. It costs around € 8.00 on the Amazon. It has 2 outputs: the orange plug connector is used to supply the Kinect with 12 V at 1 A, whereas the second output is a regular USB connector [1].

If your Kinect is connected to your PC for the first time, by default Windows will attempt to automatically download and install the driver for that Kinect, which comes from PrimeSense. PrimeSense is the developer of the range camera in the Kinect sensor and it is an Israeli 3D sensing technology. As of this time - PrimeSense has become a subsidiary of Apple Inc [2].

At the bottom of this post, the writer puts a link for you to download FingKinector.

FingKinector works in 2 options:

1. Single run
2. Sequential run

The following image shows the first mode (single run). It is known from [3] that the motor is allowed to be tilted to an angle between -27° and 27°.

Image 2: Single Run mode on FingKinector

The second mode, as seen in Image 3 below - the sequential run, uses a factor to divide the range [-27°,27°] up to 10 sectors. By default this mode will first turn the Kinect to the position of 0°, then starts the sequential movement from either top (at 27°) or bottom (at -27°).

Image 3: Sequential mode on FingKinector

The writer also took a liberty to record an amateur video to demonstrate the sequential mode. The Kinect here is seen with an extra hardware called Kinect Zoom Wide-Angle Lens by Nyko [4]. Its cost is around € 14.00.

Sources:

[1]: Kinect Adapter in Amazon.de

[2]: PrimeSense (Wikipedia)

[3]: Kinect Sensor - Microsoft Developer Network

[4]: Kinect Zoom Wide-Angle Lense by Nyko (Amazon.de)

REMINDER / WARNING:

1. For Windows only. (Linux version will be made available in the next development)
2. The writer is NOT liable for any damage.
3. Use at your own risk.

Have fun!

Download link:
Download link for FingKinector (Windows)

A Stupid and Simple App: FingCryptor

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Julius Caesar used to apply a simple trick in sending his protected messages of military significance. The trick, coined as 'Caesar cipher', is one of the simplest and widely known encryption techniques. The writer took the liberty to apply this technique in his program called 'FingCryptor'.

"K.I.S.S. = Keep It Stupid, Simple"

In this spirit, the writer has developed this application in order to assist him in his passwords management. The Wikipedia article on Caesar Cipher [1] is the main source as the guide to develop this application. The GUI - graphical user interface, is designed on Qt 4, whereas the codes for this application are written in C++. The writer is also planning to expand this application and making it more complex albeit low security in the future.

The following image shows how to understand Caesar cipher at its fundamental principle - i.e. shifting any letter three steps backwards.

Image 1: Caesar cipher left shift of 3 [1]

The main advantage of FingCryptor: the writer extended the use of this operation on all ASCII characters e.g. '@', '#', '?' etc, including numbers from 0 to 9.

Images 2 and 3 show the usage of FingCryptor.

Image 2: The ciphering on FingCryptor

Image 2: The deciphering on FingCryptor

The first version of this application is available for download at the bottom of this post. 

Source(s):

[1] Caesar cipher (Wikipedia): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesar_cipher

REMINDER / WARNING:

1. For Windows only. (Linux version will be made available in the next development)
2. This application is NOT intended for any high security objective.
3. The writer is NOT liable for any security breach - i.e. deciphering by a third party etc.
4. Use at your own risk.

Have fun!

Download link:

Download FingCryptor (zipped) for Windows.