Microsoft exploring alternative uses for Xbox 360 Kinect

Microsoft is exploring alternative uses, outside of gaming, for the Xbox 360 Kinect technology.

A source close to the company explained Microsoft is attempting to find other possible uses for the Xbox 360 that could result in additional revenue streams.

As of right now, Microsoft is only in the brainstorming stages, exploring the ideas of using the Kinect on Xbox 360 as a possible form of home security.

Another area of use could also be facial tracking for television shows, video games, etc.  Using the Kinect camera, Microsoft and its partners could technically track consumers facial expressions and reactions to certain elements or parts of a show/game.  With that information, its partners could better understand their consumers and cater to what they enjoy most.

While some of these moves, like watching your reactions, could be viewed as invasions of privacy, it's not too unrealistic to expect something like this.  Attempting to get a better idea of your audience is nothing new in the entertainment industry.  Companies are always trying to learn more about their consumers, but using the Kinect to track user expressions might be a little too much for some to accept.