Microsoft Corp. on Monday announced plans to release a non-commercial Kinect for Windows software development kit this spring. The move will allow enthusiasts and commercial companies to officially utilize motion sensor originally designed for Xbox 360 game console for personal computers running Windows operating system (OS).

The Kinect for Windows SDK is being developed and released by Microsoft Research (MSR) in collaboration with interactive entertainment business (IEB). It will be available this spring as a free download, and will give academic researchers and enthusiasts access to key pieces of the Kinect system—such as the audio technology, system application programming interfaces and direct control of the Kinect sensor itself.

The community that has blossomed since the launch of Kinect for Xbox 360 in November shows the breadth of invention and depth of imagination possible when people have access to ground-breaking technology. Already, researchers, academics and enthusiasts are thinking through what’s next in natural and intuitive technology.

"Supporting this community and enabling creativity around natural user interfaces (NUI) is important to us, and our hope is that this SDK will ignite further creativity in an already vibrant ecosystem of enthusiasts. We are very excited by this announcement. Not only does it showcase our investment in this important technology trend, but it ensures that people have the tools they desire to revolutionize how people interact with technology," a statement by Microsoft reads.

It is a big surprise that Microsoft decided to officially implement support for Kinect on PC. Earlier it was believed that the combination will compete against Xbox 360. However, it looks like Microsoft wants to show its Windows-based PCs as innovative as possible at any cost and adding Kinect is one of such solutions.

Tags: Microsoft, Kinect, Windows