#Windows10 – Using #KinectV2 for authentication with #WindowsHello

Hello!

While I hope that fall into my hands a Surface Book or a Surface Pro 4, one of the new features that wanted to try was Windows Hello. Windows Hello, is part of a new set of libraries on Windows 10 [Windows.Devices.Perception]

Within this namespace we can find a series of UWP APIs that allow us to access information that we already know developing for Kinect as depth, infrared, color cameras, and metadata. With this information, we have a solid base to perform actions of Computer Vision and enable the identification process using faces, that is Windows Hello.

The new Microsoft Phone, 4 Surface and Surface Book, already includes the necessary hardware to work these features cone. There are also cameras certified Intel Real Sense F200, to access Windows Hello.

Kinect V2 is not a certificated device (yet), but there are some tricks that we can use it as part of Windows Hello. For this we have to enable the distribution of test drivers for Windows 10. This is accomplished with an entry in the Windows registry:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\DriverFlighting\Partner]”TargetRing”=”Drivers”

If you are not used to working with the Windows registry, in the references section there is a link where they explain the step by step to create this entry.

Once enabled access to the drivers of partners, we need to update the Microsoft Kinect. Open the Device Manager (Windows + X, Device Manager) and update the drivers for the “Kinect Sensor Devices” section. Select “WDF KinectSensor Interface 0” and select “Update Driver Software…”