Members of the Chaotic Moon team are like little kids—you tell us we can’t do something, we’re sure going to go out and do it. And when it comes to technology, that rebellious side is magnified by a trillion. So, when the limitations of Kinect for Xbox 360 were revealed, our Chaotic Moon Labs geniuses put it under the microscope to show how we can make Kinect do everything it’s not supposed to do.

Using a motorized longboard custom rigged with a Microsoft Xbox 360 Kinect device, Samsung Windows 8 enabled tablet with full voice control (yep, the one that’s not yet released), a phidget interface module, and all terrain tires, we took Project Sk8 to the streets to show how we’ve revolutionized Kinect by re-engineering it to not only respond to movement but use that movement to operate something other than a gaming avatar.

Introducing Chaotic Moon Labs' Board of Awesomeness—a longboard powered by your movement … as well as our imaginative engineering and custom electronics, of course.

So how does it work? Video recognition, speech recognition, location data, accelerometer data, and other factors determine what the user wants to do and allow the board to follow the operator’s commands without other aid. Very similar to using Kinect for Xbox 360, the Kinect device on our Board of Awesomeness transmits the user’s gestures and movement to the Samsung Windows 8 tablet that serves as the board’s central brain by controlling the speed of the board’s electric motor, which is up to 32 miles per hour. Yeah, that’s fast. Just ask whurley.

The top of the board features a Windows 8 tablet touch screen where the user can turn the board on and off, manage speed settings (slow, medium and fast), and visually monitor their gestures. To get started, the user merely has to raise their hands to signal the Kinect device, look for the red dots to appear on their hands, and they are ready to roll. The only movement needed? Pushing the hands forward to speed up and pulling the hands back to slow down or stop. Amazing, we know. And a super fun way for us to show how perceptive computing can change the way we look at user experiences.

Project Sk8’s discoveries may be one small step for Chaotic Moon, but they are one giant leap for technology. What’s to come of our developments? Well, now that’s for us to know and you to find out.