Later this spring, Microsoft will release a Windows family operating system-compatible, non-commercial development software package for the Kinect controller. According to assurances by Craig Mundie and Don Mattrick, the tools will allow a wider range of fascinators to find new uses for the innovative technology.

It took hackers only a dozen hours from the time of the device’s store launch to crack the security features in the Kinect software. So far, dozens of unusual uses of the controller’s capabilities have been posted on popular online video sites. Particularly impressive was the January demonstration of the control of a surgical robot, prepared by a group of students at the University of Washington. Interestingly, they found most of the necessary solutions directly in the Kinect software.

The Redmond giant wants to go one step further. The announced toolkit should help people who are not directly familiar with programming to realize their ideas.

– Natural and intuitive technologies like Kinect can be more than a great platform for gaming and entertainment. Huge opportunities are opening up (…) in a wide variety of areas, such as healthcare and education,” according to Mundie and Mattrick, Microsoft representatives.

According to the press release, the Kinect for Windows SDK will be made available in the coming weeks. The package will include tools using voice recognition and object-tracking technologies, among others.

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