Mod guru builds "minority report"-inspired power glove to enhance Xbox 360 Kinect motion control on element14's "The Ben Heck Show"

CHICAGO, June 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- element14, the first collaborative engineering community and electronics store for design engineers and technology enthusiasts, and modding extraordinaire Ben Heck, build a futuristic, motion-controlled power glove designed to augment the Xbox 360™ Kinect user experience on the latest episode of "The Ben Heck Show."

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110216/CG49295LOGO)

"Most people know I'm an avid gamer, but they may not know that I'm a huge fan of Steven Spielberg movies," said Ben. "I was particularly excited for this latest project because I was able to morph myself into a science fiction character to create a new accessory for the ultimate gamers' arsenal allowing fellow diehards to control their Xbox Kinect when the remote is out of reach."   

Inspired by the 2002 motion picture, "The Minority Report," Ben combines an Arduino-embedded processor and an accelerometer with a standard leather glove for an intuitive and precise way to navigate an Xbox 360 Kinect. Implementing a bit of programming know-how, Ben is able to wire up the glove using standard IR code and communication protocols to conveniently select games and movies on the console with simple arm and hand gestures.

"With over 100,000 members to-date, including electronics enthusiasts and design engineers, the element14 community is an ideal platform for like-minded people to exchange ideas and collaborate to create unique design concepts using technologies like Arduino," said Kevin Yapp, chief marketing officer, Premier Farnell and sponsor of The Ben Heck Show.  "Ben's latest feat proves that imagination, collaboration and a bit of programming can yield an innovative tool that's sure to catch the attention of sci-fi fans and gamers at heart."

Fans of the show are invited to join the discussion online at element14 to enter for a chance to win Ben's power glove.  

EDITOR'S NOTE: A hi-res image of Ben and his glove is available at http://mkt-element-14.com/files/janice/Ben43.jpg

About "The Ben Heck Show"
"The Ben Heck Show" is a bi-weekly online television series aired in English that's dedicated to the science and art of system and hardware modding with a global audience of design engineers, students and electronic enthusiasts. Sponsored exclusively by element14, each episode spotlights Ben's mods of popular electronic devices while educating viewers on the underlying technology powering each project. 

About element14
Launched in June 2009, element14 is the first information portal, collaborative community and electronics store specifically built for electronic design engineers. The community recently unveiled its element14 knode, a unique automated platform that enables engineers to quickly research, design, develop and prototype in a single, intelligent environment. element14 is an innovative offering from Premier Farnell plc (LSE:pfl), FTSE 250, a leader in multi-channel electronics distribution trading throughout Europe (Farnell), the Americas (Newark) and Asia Pacific (element14). The company had group sales of GBP 990.8m and underlying profits of GBP 93.3m last year.

US Media Contacts:
Stephanie Johnson
Walt & Company
408.369.7200 x1048
[email protected]

Janice Fleisher
element14
773.907.5941
[email protected]

SOURCE element14