With immersion in video games a hot topic at the Consumer Electronics Show this year, we took time out to visit with Vincent John Vincent, Co-Founder and President of GestureTek. GestureTek has been refining and defining camera-based motion capture and control software for two decades.  During our brief time with Vincent we heard about their new software development kit (SDK), which makes creating immersive webcam games a breeze.  I also was able to go “hands-off” with their demo and see this technology up close.

Expecting a huge setup, I was surprised to find Vincent simply pulling out a laptop with an embedded webcam.  After a couple days of putting on 3D glasses and “gearing-up” to demo stuff at every booth at CES, it was pleasant to have such an easy arrangement.  As he was booting the computer, we heard about GestureTek’s beginnings and their trek to bring motion-sensitive controls to gaming from working on Sony’s EyeToy to cell phone hardware and software manufacturers to the healthcare industry on rehabilitation software.  GestureTek’s new SDK – entitled momo – will expand the reach of motion-based capture and controls and give developers a completely new tool with which to work.

After watching our guest execute a couple of tech demos, he let me step in and take the reigns, per se, and go for a spin.  Sitting down in front of the computer the software first initializes by finding the objects in the field you want it to focus on and follow.  This really could be anything: your head, your hand, different colored pieces of paper, virtually anything in the camera’s field of view.  Once my head was “locked in” and being tracked on-screen, I began a simple flying game.  The object was to fly the ship to pick up individuals and carry them safely to the hospital.  I flew the ship using only my head.  The “stick” was inverted so it took me a moment or two to get my head on straight and fly right.

Once I was in control, flying around was easy.  Similarly to my play in flight simulators and racing games, I was over-flying my craft.  I picked up my max passengers of three and returned to the hospital to earn a successful mark and an expansion in max cargo.  Quickly I knocked out a few runs and had the ability to carry six or seven passengers.  The game itself was not complicated – it had no scoring or enemies and the buildings had no clipping, but I had a blast just tilting my head and flying around without the use of my hands.

This got me thinking to Stevie Wonder’s plea during the VGAs (Video Game Awards) to the gaming industry to look to creating interactive entertainment for individuals with special needs.  I had just played a game with nothing more than my head and Vincent had already spoke to us on GestureTek’s work within the field of rehabilitation.  This new software development kit could spell a new beginning for audiences that were previously cut off from enjoying this industry.  The feasibility and marketability of breaking into this demographic is very unclear and needs a lot of research, but for the moment I’m letting my optimistic side take over.

With the market being flooded with motion control – from Wii Motion Plus to Natal to Sixense to whatever Sony is going to call their wands with glowing balls – it is nice to see underlying support for these areas by a leader in the technology for almost 20 years.  And they’re doing it with simple technology almost everyone has in their home.  I look forward to seeing who jumps on this bandwagon as we wait for the next level of gaming to take over.

Take a look at exclusive footage of me in action using GestureTek's software: