Microsoft open-sources Kinect code

Microsoft has open-sourced some of the code for Kinect for Windows, its motion-sensing gestural control device for the desktop.

A total of 22 code samples have been posted to CodePlex, aka “Not GitHub.” Baby steps, baby steps!

Samples are available in C++, VisualBasic, and C# and include such elements as face tracking, depth of field, and audio capture/speech controls. Interested developers will need to download VisualStudio, .NET, and the Kinect for Windows SDK before getting started.

As Microsoftie Ben Lower wrote on the company blog, the whole goal of open-sourcing some of its most interesting technology is for the company to get feedback and rapidly improve on a game-changing device and accompanying software.

All the code samples are released under an Apache 2.0 license and are free for you to take, reuse, or remix. “Also, we’re using a Git repository so it’s easy clone & fork if you want,” Lower said.

In its preparation for Kinect-controlled Windows apps, Microsoft also recently released guidelines for gestural controls — a sort of white paper for app makers who are doing gestures for the first time and need standards, guidance, and expectations for users’ needs and wants.