Microsoft may not be known for emotionally compelling advertisements, but its new Kinect Effect ad inspires with aplomb — the ad recognizes the "unexpected things" (read: hacks) which have snowballed since the device's release, and offers a little insight into Microsoft's evolved thinking about Kinect's potential. The video, which you can watch below, shows applications for Kinect being used in the arts, education, science, and medicine. While the demonstrations may be fictional, the emergence of creative Kinect apps is very real. 

It's clear that Microsoft has come to view Kinect as a much broader platform. Earlier this year, Microsoft released an official SDK for enthusiasts and academic institutions, and recently announced that it will offer a commercial SDK early next year. Of course, there's no guarantee that Kinect will evolve meaningfully beyond small hacking projects, but we're hopeful that corporate budgets will be able to make Microsoft's aspirational vision a reality.