Prelude to Kinect: the evolution of the gesture-based interface

Microsoft’s Kinect peripheral hasn’t just been a pivot point in gaming; it’s also been a tinkerer’s playground, opening the door to all kinds of unexpected and innovative uses. Like most transformative technologies, however, it’s an idea that had been attempted in various ways before making it successfully to the broad consumer market. Rhizome takes a look at the history of the gesture-based interface, from the ANIMAC system, an early version of what would become motion capture, to GestureTek — a system that ran on the Commodore Amiga 1000. Check out the source below to see descriptions and demos of the full lineage.