How the Kinect is being used to revolutionize home living.

Consoles previously deemed suitable for “hardcore gamers” alone have been going through lots of rebranding strategies as of late to become more family-friendly “entertainment centers.” But here’s one you probably haven’t heard of before, courtesy of the “Compact, Hyper-Insulated Prot House otype Solar” (or CHIP for short) recently created by students from the California Institute of Technology and the Southern California Institute of Architecture:

Adding to the sci-fi appeal of this unusual living space, an Xbox Kinect command station allows occupants to control home systems (such as lighting) with simple hand gestures. As a back up, a 3D camera tracks movement in the space and has lights turned off when an area becomes empty.

This really gives “playing house” a whole new meaning.

–Yannick LeJacq

[Image and Story via PSFK]