Microsoft is making smart elevators by putting a Kinect camera in an elevator and training it to recognize when people want to get on. It will teach the elevators when to open the doors automatically when needed.

Installed at Microsoft's Washington lab, the project is being spearheded by Eric Horvitz. The project trains Kinect's eyes to notice how people act when they want to board the elevator compared to when they're just walking by.

Horvitz told the Washington Post, "something as stodgy and old-fashioned as an elevator could have really cute gestures and curiosities and say 'Are you coming?' with a door motion," perhaps jiggling the doors back and forth when it's unsure if you want to get on. Ostensibly, you'd either nod "yes" or "no," and the elevator wouldn't be confused anymore, though that capability hasn't been tried yet.

Maybe someday we'll be seeing this technology outside of Microsoft. [Washington Post]