Tech major Microsoft has announced the launch of its new smart camera at the MWC conference which is going on in Barcelona. Microsoft is using the power of both its Kinect Azure divisions to set off its next phase of growth with special emphasis on artificial intelligence. Microsoft’s Azure Kinect is a new and intelligent edge device which enables developers to create a wide range of devices powered by Artificial Intelligence. The new 1- mega depth camera has a 12 MP camera and also a seven microphone array that can work with several compute types said Julia White VP Corporate for Azure.
Other firms too are working on developing AI powered cameras and in 2017 Amazon Web Services announced that its AI camera is targeted towards developers. Though Google is also a strong cloud services provider it has not as yet created an AI camera for developers. But it has announced that it is developing a product called Google Clips for consumers. The Microsoft had released its Kinect sensor hardware in 2010 for Xbox game consoles and then in 2012 for a PC’s running Windows. But in 2017 Microsoft had announced that it has sold 35 million Kinect systems and it will stop making anymore.
But in the context of Azure, Microsoft said that Kinect technology has been revived and fine-tuned to use its best capabilities. White announced that the new product that has been launched is a collaboration of both Azure cloud group and its device development team. The devices team has previously been responsible for Surface Hub business devices besides other things. Early user that was part of Microsoft’s Azure-Kinectwas AVA Retail which enabled the chain to install systems that would help customers to carry out self-checkout and carryout Grab-and-go shopping system. Microsoft’s Ocuvera is also working with Cleveland Clinic to predict about when patients are likely to fall.