A Career of Thriving on ‘Impossible Projects’ – Including Kinect for Xbox 360
Alex Kipman, leader behind Kinect, on making technology ‘disappear.’
REDMOND, Wash. – June 12, 2012 – In June 2010, Alex Kipman sat in Los Angeles’ Galen Center as Cirque de Soleil performers helped introduce the world to Kinect. Acrobats, musicians and 10-foot tall puppets filled the sports arena, where 3,000 people watched a boy onstage discover Microsoft’s new controller-free gaming system.
“Hi, Alex,” a narrator said to the boy. “Welcome home.”
Kipman claims the name was coincidence, but he could be forgiven for making the connection, having led the development team that spent several years building Kinect. Sitting in the darkened arena, he reflected on the journey that began with a question: Can we make technology disappear? (more…)
