Microsoft patent describes seekbar function in Kinect
updated 04:35 pm EST, Fri February 24, 2012
Kinect may soon sport document, video controls
Microsoft is bringing the Kinect to PCs and recently released an SDK to this effect, but now a USPTO patent suggests it has more in the works for the system. A Seekbar feature will let users watching TV navigate channels and otherwise control their TVs and video with nothing more than their hands. The Seekbar would thus let users to open a seekbar while their other hand drags along it to either fast forward or rewind to where in the video or other content they want to be.
The seekbar would also show off thumbnails of the media at the position of the tracker. Users could preview where they would land without losing their current spot, as a kind of preview. The patent makes mention of navigating pages in a document, collections of pictures, and more, suggesting it would also be applicable to a computer environment. [via Patently Apple]
