![Imagine a toy claw machine powered by Microsoft Kinect [video]](http://cdn.electricpig.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/toyclaw_kinect-150x150.jpg)
Forget Star Wars Kinect, check out this Microsoft Kinect controlled Delta Robot. In its current state, the three arms allow for an incredible range of motion. One possible application would be to replace the joystick or directional pad used in tradition toy claw machines. It would certainly make grabbing that prize a heck of a lot easier.
The Microsoft Kinect controlled Delta Robot was created by German Malte Ahlers. Using Google translate, we’ve been able uncover some insight into the project. His initial plan was to make the robot pick up objects only by gestures and body movements; based on the video it’s clear he succeeded. The robot is powered by three servo motors. The AVR receives x, y and z coordinates for the platform via RS-232 from a PC and calculates the inverse kinematics for the robot.
Armed with the tracking data from the Kinect sensor using the Windows SDK, Malte wrote a simple C# application which tracks his left and right hands and sends the data to the robot. With any luck this prototype will become the blueprint for some applications far beyond toy claw machines. We tip our hat to you, Malte Ahlers.
via Hacked Gadgets
