Microsoft's Kinect used for Video Conferencing is pretty cool

Nowadays, we can communicate with each other by lots of software and devices being featured. But are we really satisfied already with those existing gadgets? I think those gadgets haven't prove yet their values because of continuous innovations that we have now.

Microsoft Kinect used for Video Conference

Today, MIT Media Lab researchers have used the Microsoft Kinect powers of depth and human perception to create video conferencing. There are four features implemented for this Video Conference: Talking to Focus, Freezing Former Frames, Privacy Zone and the Special Augmenting Reality.

Talking to Focus
From the first image above which is the upper left corner, the person who is not the center of conversation is temporarily blurred. While the one who is speaking have the relevant information displayed on the screen like the time she is talking, her name, etc.

Freezing Former Frames
Here you can freeze the gesture of the person who is not the center of the conversation letting the other person move as normal. This technique is being used for some short task like checking emails, text messages and other task relevant to the conversation.

Privacy Zone
Here the background is being eliminated from Kinect when there is a disturbing movement around during video conference.

Special Augmenting Reality
This is using the 3D position of the objects which can be assigned in an augmented status. People can click the objects on the screen (on the other space) to see the augmented information remotely.

Take a look on the video below for details of these four features:

Hands Free Faucets is not good for the health say scientists

It was three years ago when the University of Westminster, London conducted a study that the hand warm air dryer could easily infect you because it left more bacteria in your hand compared than just simply wiping your hand with a towel or a piece of tissue paper. The theory is now the same when using the electronic eye hands free faucets that we are using nowadays. This study was proven by the researchers at the John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore wherein the hands free faucet contain more Legionella bacteria compared to the conventional faucets.

Hands Free Faucets contains more Legionella bacteria say scientists

Although the process of hands free faucets has no touching compared to the conventional one, John Hopkins surprised that in the hands free faucets, Legionella bacteria is growing 50 percent from the cultured water samples of the 20 hands free faucets compared to 15 percent only from the conventional one of the same area. Legionella bacteria is not dangerous that dangerous but not good for the individual with weakened immune systems. They are suspecting the reason why hands free faucets have more bacteria than conventional one is that, hands free faucets have complex parts and there is a chance that more bacteria can hide and grown compared to conventional one with few internal parts only.

John Hopkins had replaced the 20 hands free faucets with conventional one of their hospital. They are still working for the remaining 100 hands free faucets. Researchers are now working with manufacturer to do something about it.