Kinect hacked to work with Mac
updated 07:30 pm EST, Thu November 11, 2010
Developer ports libfreenect to OS X
Developer Theo Watson has adapted an existing open-source library to the Mac, allowing Microsoft's Kinect motion-detector IR and webcam add-on for the XBox to work with OS X. His Vimeo-hosted video shows the project to be very much a "work in progress," but opens interesting possibilities for future Mac software and games that could leverage the Kinect connectivity.
Watson took the source code for Hector Martin's libfreenect and adapted it for Snow Leopard (tested on 10.6.3, may work with other versions), adding and modifying some libusb commands and tweaking transfer rates. The Kinect combines a traditional webcam with an infrared spotlight to better distinguish humans and movement from inanimate objects. In Watson's software, both the "convention" and "IR" views are shown side-by-side.
Watson has posted the source code for his port on the same page with the video. So far, the clip has already marked 2,000 views.
