Internet of Things - Technology focus

"Orthosense" by David Schnare, and the game "Seed" by Alexandre Ribeiro da Silva, took top spot out of the thousands of entries from 37 countries -- up from 19 last year. With an incentive like a cash prize pool of $465,000 awarded to 21 of the winners, developers were challenged to blur the lines between human and computer interaction with a camera similar to the one already embedded in many of today's devices, including the HP Envy laptop and Lenovo B50 All-in-One desktop.  -  Utilizing a best-in-class three-dimensional depth sensor, RealSense 3D technology enables new ways to interact, including 22-point hand and finger tracking and gesture recognition, facial detection and tracking, speech recognition, and even background subtraction to create a kind of green screen – without needing a green screen.  -  Think of it as Kinect on steroids.  -  "As rapidly and profoundly as technology continues to advance, one thing remains constant: the need for more human and intuitive ways to interact with it," says Scott Steinberg, a leading analyst, futurist, and author of Make Change Work for You. "Whether scanning in favorite objects, like children's toys, and reprinting them on demand at grandma's house, navigating through 3D models of homes or tradeshow floors with the wave of a hand, or using gesture controls to flip through your music collection, it's only natural for software and hardware developers alike to look to technology solutions such as this that provide more user-friendly and accessible controls."