Microsoft Kinect sensor used to help guard Korean border

Advertisement
By Agence France-Presse | Updated: 6 February 2014 19:48 IST
Microsoft's movement-recognition Kinect software has morphed from virtual shooter gaming to the real-life challenge of guarding the world's last Cold War border.

The sensor allowing hands-free play on the Xbox is the basis for a security device now deployed along the demilitarised zone (DMZ) that separates North and South Korea, after being adapted by a South Korean programmer.

Four kilometres (2.5 miles) wide and 248 kilometres (155 miles) long, the DMZ is a depopulated no-man's land of heavily fortified fences that bristles with the landmines and listening posts of two nations that technically remain at war.

As a military buffer zone, it remains an area of profound Cold War hostility, but its man-made isolation has also created an accidental wildlife park recognised as one of the best-preserved habitats on Earth.

The Kinect-based software developed by Ko Jae-Kwan, founder-president of Saewan Co., has been taken up by the military because of its ability to differentiate between human and animal movement.

Advertisement

Ko, 39, told AFP on Thursday that his device could detect the sound, movement and direction of anybody attempting to cross the DMZ and immediately alert South Korean border guards.

"Existing sensors, which had been in place along the border, were highly efficient but could not tell the difference between humans and animals, sending wrong signals frequently," Ko said.

Advertisement

The new sensors have been in place along certain sections of the DMZ since August last year, he added.

(Also see : Kinect Sign Language Translator developed by Microsoft, Chinese researchers)

"Such devices are established as part of our project to strengthen surveillance with scientific equipment, but we cannot provide details for security reasons," a defence ministry official said on condition of anonymity.

Advertisement

Despite all the security measures in place along the DMZ, there have been highly publicised incidents of undetected crossings.

Five South Korean generals and nine mid-level officers were removed from their posts or disciplined in 2012 after a defecting North Korean soldier simply walked undetected across the border and knocked on the door of a guard post.

The security lapse was all the more embarrassing as it came at a time of surging military tensions when the South Korean army was supposedly on high alert.

Ko said he planned to update the existing Kinect-based sensors to a version capable of detecting heart rates and reading body temperature, features that Microsoft added to the Xbox One version of the console released last year.

"For its price, the device is very accurate and effective in covering vulnerable areas," he said.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Nothing Phone 3: Everything We Know About the Upcoming Flagship So Far
  2. iQOO Neo 10 First Sale in India Kicks Off Today: Price, Offers and Features
  3. Samsung Asks Galaxy Users to Activate Latest Anti-Theft Features
  4. Exclusive: Huawei Band 10 to Launch in India Priced Under Rs. 5,000
  5. Vivo X Fold 5 Battery Details Leaked; May Be Cheaper Than X Fold 3 Pro
  6. X's New XChat Feature to Offer Bitcoin-Style Encryption: Elon Musk
  1. New Dwarf Planet Discovery Challenges Planet Nine Hypothesis
  2. Venus May Be Geologically Active: New Study Reveals Tectonic Processes Shaping Its Surface
  3. Genetic Study Reveals Maya Civilization’s Collapse Was a Reorganization
  4. Brightest Planets in June’s Night Sky: How and When to See Mercury, Venus, Mars and Saturn
  5. Hubble Spots Isolated Barred Spiral Galaxy That’s Secretly Part of a Cosmic Duo
  6. Tourist Family Now Available for Streaming on JioHotstar in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi Languages
  7. Pelli Kani OTT Release Date: When and Where to Watch it Online?
  8. Gajaana Now Streaming on JioHotstar: What You Need to Know About A Mythical Tale of Yali, Forests, and Fate
  9. Samsung Encourages Users to Activate Latest Anti-Theft Features on Galaxy Devices
  10. Fujifilm Instax Mini 41 With Close-Up Mode Launched in India: Price, Specifications
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.