Researchers at NASA's Jet Propulusion Laboratory are experimenting with robots using the Xbox One Kinect sensor and Oculus Rift.

The team has been using the gaming technology to control a robotic arm called JACO in real time. According to NASA, the way it works is by combining the position tracking from the Kinect and the rotational tracking of the Oculus to create a first-person view for their operator. Once the operator is set, he can then perform simple tasks like picking up blocks.

If the tests prove successful, future applications could include using the technology on the Robonaut 2 humanoid on the International Space Station.

This isn't the first time NASA has used gaming technology. Earlier in 2013, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory used the Oculus Rift paired with an Omni treadmill to recreate what it's like walking on the surface of Mars.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/12/31/nasa-uses-kinect-and-oculus-rift-to-control-a-robotic-arm

Wow, cool stuff.

Just think how they could use stuff like this for fixing deep underwater wells or the broken Nuclear power plant in Japan.

Oh look, Kinect being used for something not gaming related, it will defiantly "enhance" the gaming experience MS

Nasa sucks.

A bunch of companies already did it with self made kinect, how is it news ?

Just add hepatic feedback and we can jump to the future.

Pretty cool.

Not sure why people are so negative about it but ok...

http://www.mcn.edu/kinect-hacking-demonstration

I personally saw Kinect being used in Bordeaux Science Museum.

There used to be a time when we got cool space tech stuff out of NASA research, now it's the other way around... How times have changed.

Btw I misread it as NSA first, what the heck do they need a robotic arm for, *shivers*