The PrimeSensor is an end-to-end solution that enables a computer to perceive the world in three-dimensions and to  translate these perceptions into a synchronized depth image, in the same way that humans do. The solution includes a sensor component, which observes the scene (users and their surroundings), and a perception component, or brain, which comprehends the user interaction within these surroundings.

 

The PrimeSensor NITE Middleware is the perception component of the solution.

NITE (PrimeSense's Natural Interface Middleware) focuses on enabling natural interaction in the living room using two key applications: Control by Gesture and Games for All.

 

NITE employs a unique approach to ensure efficient visual data processing, making it the obvious choice for platforms with a low processing and memory budget. The NITE engine contains the algorithmic infrastructure for user identification, features detection and gestures recognition, as well as the control framework that manages the tagging of users in the scene and the acquisition and release of control between users. Coupled with the PrimeSensor Reference Design, NITE offers unprecedented performance in terms of richness, robustness, detection rate and execution efficiency.

Control-By-Gesture stands for the ability of users to naturally and intuitively control living room consumer electronics with their bare hands. NITE provides the entire needed infrastructure for applications developers to freely design rich and innovative Control By-Gesture applications without being burdened with the intense algorithmic challenges of processing the raw depth and image data. NITE contains the framework for allowing users to grab control and release control and detect gestures and movements. While in control, gestures performed by other users are ignored providing the controlling user an interruption free experience. NITE then processes gestures performed by the controlling user and allow the developer to instantiate a variety of controls and detectors that corresponds to such gestures:

 

The application developer gets from NITE a rich gesture user interface tool box that contains the above mentioned controls, detectors and framework from which he can easily assemble new control paradigms, attach fancy graphics and connect to a wide range of applications.

Games for All refers to the new line of living room video games that are active, physical, social and appeal to a mass market audience. Combined with the PrimeSensor Reference Design, NITE offers the ultimate platform for enabling simple, active, social games in everyone's living room.

NITE supports multiple users, and is designed for a wide range of game segments, such as platform, racing, boxing, skate/snow board and many more. All game controls support at least two users playing together, either in a collaborative mode or in a competitive mode. The NITE framework also offers a set of developer tools for customizing game controls and adding new functionality – all without having to write a single line of depth processing code.

 

NITE offers a comprehensive framework with a rich set of standard, well-documented APIs. Developing over the NITE framework ensures forward compatibility with and portability to future versions of the PrimeSensor Reference Design and NITE.