Waterloo Region is hosting the only Canadian location for the Microsoft Kinect for Windows Hackathon tour! Microsoft is bringing a crew of their top Kinect engineers Kitchener to help make this hackathon weekend a great experience.

This hackathon welcomes Developers, UI/UX designers, artists, gamers, roboticists, engineers, product managers, marketing visionaries, entrepreneurs... anyone interesting in learning how to use Kinect v2 features for innovative creations. Come as a team, form a team when you arrive or work independently.

Bring your talent, bring your ideas, bring your enthusiasm. Bring your laptops (or Macbook Air or Pro) with USB3 support and Microsft will provide the full Kinect For Windows SDK and bootable hard drives with full Kinect development environment. Microsoft will have a limited number of Surface Pro developer laptops if needed. Conestoga College is providing iMac workstations loaded with creative software (Adobe CS6 and other tools). If you have a Kinect sensor, bring it along or borrow one of Microsoft's devices.

NOTE: The Kinect for Windows engineering team is also bringing along experimental firmware that turns the new Kinect sensor into a NFC device. What might you do if the sensor is calibrated to work with near field communications?

The Hackathon Weekend Plan:

Friday Aug. 8th:

7:00pm - Check-in and get to know each other

8:00pm- Opening instructions from Microsoft Kinect Team followed by project concept pitches, team organization and hackathon setup. Arrive as a team, join a team or work indepedendently with MS Kinect Engineers to support the learning process.

ALL NIGHT LONG - Let the designing and hacking begin!

When you need a break: Hit the streets to enjoy the Kitchener Blues Festival

Saturday Aug. 9th:

7:00am - Coffee starts brewing

8:00am - Full breakfast served

9:00am to Noon - Hackathon time

Noon - Lunch will be served

1:00pm to 6:00pm - Hackathon Time

6:00pm - Dinner will be served

7:00pm until you fall asleep - Hackathon Time

When you need a break: Hit the streets to enjoy the Kitchener Blues Festival

Sunday Aug. 10th:

7:00am - Coffee starts brewing

8:00am - Full breakfast served

9:00am to Noon - Finishing touches and prep for presentation

Noon - Lunch will be served

1:00pm to 3:00pm - Team presentations and winners announced by Microsoft. Microsoft is generously sponsoring prizes for the top three teams:

• 1st place: Each member of the team (up to 5 people) will receive their own Kinect For Windows device plus $500 cash to share.
• 2nd place: $250 in cash for the team to share
• 3rd place: $100 in cash for the team to share

After 3:00 - Hit the streets to enjoy the Kitchener Blues Festival

Catering provided by Smokin' Tony's BBQ (with vegetarian and Gluten Free options) and sponsored by Microsoft.

Stay tuned here for news as it comes up: Deep Realities Inc.

Wondering what you can do with the new Kinect for Windows sensor? Check out this WIRED Video for a sampling of the capabilities that are available. More information is available on the Kinect For Windows web site. Be among the first to explore what you can design and build with these advanced features.

Come as a team, find kindred spirits to work with or experiment independently with the support of the Microsoft engineers.

The Hackathon will be located in the middle of the free Kitchener Blues Festival so you can step outside for inspiration breaks.

Many thanks to the Conestoga College School of Media and Design for generously offering their fabulous new Kitchener Studio Project space and design workstations for this unique tech and design challenge.

Thanks also to Communitech for sponsoring the event and helping to make it a success.

The Kitchener Studio Project building is located across the street from the Kitchener Bus Terminal and only a few blocks from the VIA Rail train station. Due to the Blues Festival, there will be very limited parking available so we highly recommend taking public transit.

If you're coming from out of town, there are several options for accommodations. During the summer, Wilfred Laurier University opens its doors for Hotel Laurier and University of Waterloo also has summer rentals.

Four Points Sheraton has set up special group rates for the event - If you're calling by phone, ask for the "Microsfot Kinect For Windows Hackathon" rate option.

Kitchener Radisson has set up discount rates of $109/night for the conference as well under "Microsoft Kinect Hackathon".

Please contact the organizer if you require sponsorship for the ticket cost.