

Hacked iRobot Uses XBox Kinect to See The World, Obey Your Commands - kkleiner
http://singularityhub.com/2010/11/17/hacked-irobot-uses-xbox-kinect-to-see-the-world-obey-your-commands-video/

======
robotresearcher
The article claims this is "the first iRobot to finally use SLAM".

See Gerkey's Create+Hokuyo SLAM HOWTO from March 2006, predating this "first"
by 4.5 years.

<http://www.ai.sri.com/~gerkey/roomba/index.html>

Also, since the Create was designed and sold for exactly this kind of thing
(it is a Roomba without the cleaning guts and with a published external
control protocol), how is this a hack? Sigh.

~~~
robotresearcher
To be clear, I'm pointing out only the sloppy "journalism".

The Kinect was slapped on there as a cheap new sensor for already existing
SLAM* software. I'm sure the student would not claim novelty for that, and
will be facepalming if he reads the linked article. This may be the first
working Kinect-based SLAM system (outside Microsoft), a few hours before the
next fifty instances. The gesture interpretation shown in the last few seconds
is the novel contribution here.

iRobot Creates are used for SLAM every day in tens, maybe hundreds of labs
around the world.

It's a shame that this AI-themed blog couldn't be a bit more careful about
simple facts.

[*Simultaneous Localization and Mapping]

------
modeless
Kinect has been out for less than two weeks! I can't wait to see what these
hacks look like after a year. There's so much potential in using Kinect as a
robot sensor package it's not even funny.

------
Groxx
Why does it have a rangefinder? Isn't that essentially a sub-function of
having a Kinect on board?

~~~
deckard
The Hokuyo device is a linear scanning laser rangefinder with much better
accuracy and range than stereo camera + texture projector (like the Kinect)
sensors are achieving. It costs around $2000. That device itself was a
revolution when it was released since previously everyone used SICK LMS
devices at $20,000 each. Now most labs and some undergrad programs can afford
the Hokuyo. The Hokuyo is less accurate than the SICK, but it's good enough
for many purposes and, hey, it's affordable. The Kinect gives relatively noisy
and and low-resolution data, but it's another order of magnitude cheaper AND
it's 3D. More choice for the well-off and a whole new world for those without
big research grants.

------
kenjackson
Maybe this was obvious, but I would like to point out that I did call it (sort
of): <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1894708>

------
chapel
I almost wonder if Kinect will be big like the Wii due to the impressive
amount of hacking done with it's hardware much like the Wii had with it's
Wiimote.

~~~
angusgr
I don't think the causality (hacking->popularity) runs that way. If anything,
I'd think it runs the other way (popularity of the Wii made the Wiimote
available in every game store and cheap for hacking on.)

However, the popularity of the Wii would seem to have been due to it being
novel and fun.

------
rdzah
Next step is for someone to hook this to the top of their car and teach it to
autopilot.

~~~
AlbertEin
I doubt it, last time I checked the kinect had a very low range, below the 4m
mark I think, If you stand too far away from the sensor the magic fades away.

~~~
RodgerTheGreat
A nearsighted self-driving car you say? Where's the harm in that? :)

------
zoomzoom
Here's the thing; this seems amazing. The big question is, what is the killer
app?

------
siculars
I, for one, welcome our Robot overlords.

~~~
AlbertEin
I, for one, welcome our new kinect powered robot overlords.

