It's been ten years since Microsoft launched the Kinect camera and it lived quite a life. The Xbox 360 peripheral became a key part of the whole Xbox platform and then years later, almost just as quickly, faded into obscurity. It may not have been the enduring success Microsoft was hoping for, but its legacy is bigger than you might first think. Kinect launched in 2010 and seven years and two versions later, Microsoft stopped making the gear. A year later and the company stopped offering the accessory for newer Xbox consoles.

Who's going to be the next Mobileye? Computer vision is a hot topic for the tech industry, and especially in Israel. It seems like Israeli entrepreneurs are one step ahead when it comes to developing computer vision technology. That's why we're excited to announce that three computer vision experts are going to join us on stage to share their knowledge about this space. First up, Inon Beracha has become a well-known name in Israel.

A worker demonstrated facial recognition security features on the MasterCard Inc. stand at the Mobile World Congress in this arranged photograph in Barcelona, Spain, on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016. Why did Apple acquire RealFace the AI facial recognition company? Why did Apple acquire RealFace the AI facial recognition company? There are many reasons, however the biggest reason may be the one few see today. Today it was announced [1] Apple acquired the Israeli facial recognition AI company Real Face.

Products that could make it common to control a computer, TV, or something else using eye gaze, gesture, voice, and even facial expression were launched at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. The technology promises to make computers and other devices easier to use, let devices do new things, and perhaps boost the prospects of companies reliant on PC sales. Industry figures suggest that interest in laptop and desktop computers is waning as consumers' heads are turned by smartphones and tablets. Intel led the charge, using its press briefing Monday to announce a new webcam-like device and supporting software intended to bring gesture, voice control, and facial expression recognition to PCs. "This will be available as a low-cost peripheral this year," said Kirk Skaugen, vice president for Intel's PC client group. "Rest assured that Intel's working to integrate this with all-in-ones and Ultrabooks, too."

Apple just bought itself a 3D sensor company, a move that has some intriguing possibilities. This past weekend, Apple confirmed its acquisition of PrimeSense, an Israel-based company best known for its work on the original Microsoft Kinect, a gaming accessory that lets you control on-screen action by moving your body. "I think it's very big news," says David Fleet, a computer science professor at the University of Toronto. Fleet studies machine vision systems and cites the success of the Kinect as a "big win," adding "I think many more applications are on the horizon." PrimeSense's 3D sensing system uses an infrared emitter to shoot out beams of invisible infrared light.

In the two-plus months since the creation of open-source drivers for Microsoft's Kinect made it possible to hack the popular motion controller, the device has been used as a sophisticated piano, to add voice control to popular video games, to create 3D renderings of a car's path, and even for a demo of soft-core porn. Indeed, the open-source tools have snatched control of the device from Microsoft's proprietary hands, and each new day sees the emergence of some new kind of Kinect hack. But as the community of techies investing time in these types of imaginative--and unauthorized--works grows and each new hack pushes the envelope a little more, it's natural to wonder just how far hackers can go. What are, in other words, the outer limits of Kinect hacking? "I truly believe that those who [say] that the sky is the limit [have] limited imagination," said Kristoffer Risanger, the founder of a site called Kinect Hacks that aggregates the latest efforts by the fledging community to do things with the device that Microsoft never intended.

At a panel discussion at the Consumer Electronics Show this week, Mike Masnick of TechDirt noted that we typically don't recognize disruptive technologies until after the fact. He's probably right, but sometimes you really can see a technology rocking an industry in real time. These aren't new technologies, but judging from CES, they are finally poised to metastasize. Microsoft's Kinect motion sensors, of which more than 18 million have been sold, have prompted industries far removed from video games to rethink how people will use their products and services. Similarly, Apple's Siri virtual assistant has taught manufacturers and software developers that voice recognition has moved beyond recognition and into comprehension.