Possible Kinect Fun Labs Dev Kit in the works?
If you haven’t heard, Microsoft announced yesterday that the Imagine Cup will now have a “Kinect Fun Labs Challenge” for this years competition. Students are tasked to “solve some of the worlds toughest problems” through the help of technology, in this case Kinect. I personally think this is incredibly exciting, because it gives students a chance to build innovative solutions with the Kinect Sensor.
First thing I did was browse the rules of the contest, wanting to get as much information as possible. I learned that all participants who move on to Round 2 of the competition will receive a free Kinect for Windows Sensor… and something a bit interesting. The following is taken from the official rules for the contest:
I’m not reading much into this, but it’s interesting to see that students will be getting a new SDK for Kinect Fun Labs. Perhaps we’ll see something come out for all developers in the near future? Only time will tell.
In the meantime, if you are a student passionate about changing the world through technology, sign up for the Imagine Cup today. Not only can you win a Kinect for Windows Sensor, but if your idea is great enough, you could win a free trip to Australia, as well as up to $8,000 USD. Sign up today!
Spotlight Imagine Cup: Team GreenWorld
The Imagine Cup Game Design competition is one of the most unique parts of the competition. Competitors have to think outside of the box to create fun, engaging games that also help solve world issues.
Team GreenWorld has built a solution that aims to help improve environmental conditions through education and motivation. They were partially inspired by the Sofia spring cleaning. They saw how people from all over the community would work together to clean their area.
Their game allows players to clean up and tend to a virtual world. The players go on quests with other players in the virtual world, and through these activities they can earn achievements and badges. The game seems to be styled in a similar fashion to the Farmville and Cityville social games.
I feel this game has a great amount of potential. While they may not have advanced beyond the first round of the competition, they still plan on bringing their game to market. You can read more about the project at there blog, here.
Until Next Time,
Patrick Godwin
Team Hawk Interview: Part 2
Part 2 of my interview with Team Hawk is up now! Check it out above.
Spotlight Imagine Cup: Team Walk2Help
Team Walk2Help is a Bulgarian team entering the World Wide Imagine Cup with a neat Windows Phone 7 application. They aim to help reduce carbon emissions while helping out charities.
I was able to sit in on Walk2Help’s presentation, and got quite a bit of insight as to what the project is about. They built a Windows Phone 7 application that tracks the amount of CO2 you save when walking. When you walk, you earn “credits”, that you can then redeem on their website to help charities. The more people walk, the more carbon we save, and the more people we’re able to help.
While they may not have made it much further in the competition, they did an amazing job building their project. The app is available now on the Windows Phone marketplace. Just search fro Walk2Help and make a difference.
If you support Walk2Help, please vote for them in the People’s Choice Awards here.
Until next time,
Patrick Godwin
Spotlight Imagine Cup: Team Hawk
(Photo from Tom Ziegmann’s Flickr stream)
This Imagine Cup is special in more ways than one. After all, it is the first time the worldwide event has been held in the United States. It’s also the first time Iraq has had a presence at the World Wide finals.
Team Hawk, a team from Iraq, has traveled far and faced many challenges to come here to the United States. They built a Windows Phone 7 application for easily registering and tracking refugees in camps.
The team aims to “help refugees change their life for the better”. By registering refugees, they are able to get them welfare. Until a refugee is registered at a camp, they are essentially non-existent. Team Hawk wants to speed up this process, and help them get welfare as quickly as possible.
I sat down and interviewed Team Hawk. You can watch part one here:
While they may not have made it further, they still have overcome amazing obstacles and have great ideas. You can support them by voting for them in the People’s Choice Award voting here.
Until next time,
Patrick Godwin
about me
Welcome! My name is Patrick Godwin, and I'm a Computer Science Engineering Major at the University of Michigan. I'm a Microsoft Student Insider focusing on XNA, Kinect, and now Windows 8 Metro Style Apps. I'm very interested in areas surrounding NUI, Game Development, and Web Application Development.
While I primarily focus on Microsoft technologies, I am expanding to work with Node.js and other OSS technology. On this blog you'll find my thoughts, findings, and dablings with different technologies and events, like the Imagine Cup and MIX.