Kinect - Could this technology have a future in industrial automation?

Last week, I was among the throngs of people that purchased the new Microsoft XBox 360 Kinect accessory. For those who don't know what that is, Kinect allows users to interact with video games without touching/holding a controller. Kinect uses a sensor filled bar placed in the front of the television facing the playing space. From what I can see,and have experienced, this technology has great potential in the Industrial Automation market. Before I go further, I want to make clear, that Kinect is a consumer electronics device and the technology and safety factors involved are years and by that I mean possibly a decade before they could be safely integrated and routinely found in an industrial workplace.

As an example of my misgivings, when playing the bowling game, I made an inadvertent gesture at one point and, as a result, sent the bowling ball I was virtually holding sailing into the virtual crowd. The programmers had allowed this to happen but, as it is a family game, everyone in the audience was able to avoid injury by ducking. Still, the idea of a robot hurling a object like an automobile transmission into a group of workers is a chilling thought. There are now also documented cases of where players have injured themselves and other players as well as their HDTV but that is out of scope for further discussion in this blog.

OK, now that I have stated the disclaimer and the cautionary note, let's examine the potentials I saw in this Kinect technology. For the sake of brevity, I will not go into too many details of the existing or possible technical limitations. Let's assume these can be worked out.

Operator ID: The Kinect recognizes the person through its RGB camera and infrared/CMOS sensors. It also is able recognize voices. This type of technology could ensure that the only properly trained people are using the system in question. It also can replace or augment traditional security login and password systems.

Hands Free: The Human Machine Interface (HMI) is wireless but does not need to transmit a signal and the operator does not need to hold a controller. It only needs a clear view and a reasonably lit / defined operating space. The Kinect also can take voice commands and calibrates itself to eliminate ambient noise and determine the location that the command came from. Although, as stated above, I won't get into details but noisy factory floors will be a challenge to overcome. The user also needs a display so they can see where they are pointing.

Emergency Stop/Pause: The Kinect has a "universal" pause where the user places their left hand on their hip and the right arm at a 45 degree downward angle. This pauses the game in progress. In an factory, this type of control would ensure the operator can stop the machine even if they are not within easy reach of an EMO switch. It also could be a type of alternative to a hard emergency stop. Think of it as a "cautionary pause".

Position Sensing: The Kinect tracks the user with the sensors and can pivot/tilt itself up and down in order to do so. This would seem to have potential in places where machines and personnel occupy the same areas and protection via traditional light curtains and other sensors is impractical.

In summary, time will tell if this technology finds a place in the factory. Clearly machine vision has already found a place but, that is usually limited to the machine and the object being processed. In VDC's Industrial Automation and Control practice, we cover a lot of subjects such as Functional Safety, Machine Safety, and HMI that can be impacted. As we look forward to 2011 and beyond, it will be interesting to see if any of this Kinect type HMI and sensing comes into the industrial market. 

Comments

[freelance writers]

nice post!