If you research some of the history and technology in this device, you'll find an interesting mix of old and new technology.  It uses a webcam, depth sensor, motorized pivot and multi-array microphone to enable voice recognition, motion capture and facial recognition allowing a whole new generation of gaming, dancing, health & fitness controller-free interaction.  As a casual gamer, I'm intrigued and interested in the revolution, but as a technologist, I'm almost more curious about what the "commodization" of this type of device might mean for computing in general.

Microsoft's Office Labs team has posted a "Future of Productivity" video that envisions a not-so-distant future of full wall displays, multiple touch and highly social/interactive interfaces - it's a great video to imagine the possibilities - see it here - many of which have rather salient potential in education, classroom and broader teaching and learning.  As you watch the video, however, you might think to yourself - "no way... not possible - at least not in 5 or 10 years."  When you return to the present, however, and see the Kinect device in action, many of the scenarios displayed have relatively easy extrapolations from this device.  It may be difficult to imagine until you experience Kinect in person, but once you do, the light bulb goes off.

Mainstream computing has been largely wed to some form of tactile input device - mouse, keyboard, gaming controller, even more recently touch-screens.  Computing interfaces have largely grown dependent on these devices, but hands free, full-body, motion sensing devices open many possibilities for computing in general, not to mention niche-specific areas like social computing, health and fitness training, vocational or job training, virtual conferencing and even health and medical consultations.  As Kinect also demonstrates, we don't have to necessarily open our home/office/room and body/face up for viewing, we can use an avatar and a virtual environment to both protect identity or a bad hair day and to optimize bandwidth (i.e. eliminating the need to transmit full color HD 30-fps images).

My kids are excited about Kinect and what it will mean to their gaming enjoyment; I'm excited about what it means for their activity level during their ever-increasing "screen time"; but I'm thrilled about what future technologies and social experiences - in educaiton and beyond - this technology will bring to our rapidly morphing world of consumer electronics.