That camera you yell at in your living room is now guarding one of the most dangerous places on the planet.
Kinect is being called up to the big leagues, folks. The South Korean military has announced they are using a Kinect-based security system to help protect itself from North Korean invasion, placing cameras along its border to monitor the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) for military encroachment.
Why use Kinect? The system uses the Kinect camera/motion detector to quickly assess potential threats near the border. The sensors can tell the difference between humans and animals, and can alert nearby stations if it detects someone who shouldn’t be there.
Developed by South Korean programmer Jae Kwan Ko, the system was installed in August and recently announced to the public. “I’ve never even thought of a game system performing national defense tasks,” Ko told Korean publication Hankooki. (As translated by Kotaku)
Ko also mentioned that, when fully implemented, the system will be able to monitor a subject’s heart rate and body temperature: Two features found in the Xbox One version of Kinect.
The Xbox One is expected to launch in South Korea later this year.
