Infrared Imaging Perspectives on KINECT Sensor Event in Baltimore County/Dundalk Historic District Ghost Expedition: Possible Evidence for a Location Effect?
Displays of a KINECT sensor event captured by Maryland Paranormal Research ® at the Dundalk Patapsco Neck Historical Society (DPNHS) and Museum on Oct 1 2017 at 1:42 am EST.
The Dundalk Historic District Ghost Expedition was conducted as part of the National Ghost Hunting Day (NGHD) experiment to build a global “consciousness bridge.” The NGHD event involved synchronized paranormal investigations occurring from 10 pm - 12 am EST with connectivity provided by streaming services and social media.
The KINECT sensor is a motion, depth and audio sensing device produced by Microsoft for use with its gaming and operating system platforms. The device has a depth sensor, a video camera, and a four microphone array capable "acoustic source localization and ambient noise suppression."
The first image is from the KINECT sensor, which renders the figure of an articulated standing near the antique Odd Fellows chair located in the basement archives of DPNHS. Moments earlier the figure had appeared to be resting in the chair. Afterwards, the figure appeared to stand up from the chair in seeming compliance with the investigators’ request.
The second image was taken from an infrared (IR) camcorder at the same aspect shows nothing to be standing near the antique chair. While there appears to be a dark translucent mass at the base of the chair, it is only a stationary shadow effect. The KINECT image is in reverse aspect (or mirrored) in comparison to the IR image.
The KINECT sensors are able to perform depth perception through a form of LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). The sensor contains a low power laser projector that is used for depth perception that emits a grid of infrared (invisible) light
The sensor also has an algorithm, trained by millions of reference images, to recognize arrays of body types and movements. The system also generates a wire skeleton by estimating the position and motion of the game player's bodily joints. The sensor has a range of around 15 feet
Hence, the Kinect system is making an estimate or guess when it renders a skeleton figure and this sometimes results in false positives. Oftentimes these anomalies will appear in the vicinity of human beings or human sized appliances, furniture or other objects.
However, it is difficult to rationalize why KINECT anomalies seemingly appear to respond to various positioning requests as documented by paranormal researchers across various investigations.
Confirmation bias may explain many (perhaps most) encounters of this kind, but not all experiences.
During the event in question the laser grid pattern appears absent in the vicinity of the antique chair.
Maryland Paranormal Research ® experiments in 2016 with low infrared (thermal) imaging and the KINECT sensor were suggestive of an energy event, which recorded a mixture of scattering and diffraction of invisible IR light.
There also appeared to be convergent audio evidence during the event time frame. However, it was possible to replicate some aspects of that event using various reflective surfaces.
Recommend high and low infrared (i.e. thermal) imaging as a standard for providing additional perspectives on KINECT events or anomalies, since the sensor projects a IR grid.
Future exploration could attempt to replicate aspects of KINECT anomalies observed across imaging platforms. Experiments might confirm scattering, diffraction and/or other observances that can explain how these anomalies normally tend to arise in the sensor.
Unfortunately, they will not for now explain why some of these anomalies curiously appear to exhibit a conscious response. It is possible such events represent psi functioning and are a form of location effect?
REFERENCES:
Biddle, K (2017, Jul 7). Special Report - The Xbox Kinect and Paranormal Investigation. A Program for the Center for Inquiry (CFI), Skeptical Inquirer. Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal
Kinect. (2017, Sep 9). Wikipedia
Maryland Paranormal Research ®. (2017, Sep 30). Ghost Expedition Baltimore County, Dundalk Historic District/Dundalk and Patapsco Neck Historical Society and Museum. Maryland Paranormal Research ®
Maryland Paranormal Research ®. (2016, May 31). [HAUNTING] in Prince George’s County 2016/Anomalous FLIR Thermal/Kinect Imaging Event (“She Could See Him”). Maryland Paranormal Research ® on YouTube. Maryland Paranormal Research ®
National Ghost Hunting Day: The World’s Largest Ghost Hunt. (2017). Haunted Journeys.
IMAGES:
Maryland Paranormal Research ®. (2017, Oct 1). Dundalk and Patapsco Neck Historical Society and Museum: Kinect Event at 0142 EST Oct 1 2017. (c) Maryland Paranormal Research ®. All rights reserved.
Maryland Paranormal Research ®. (2017, Oct 1). Dundalk and Patapsco Neck Historical Society and Museum: Infrared Image of Kinect Event at 0142 EST Oct 1 2017. (c) Maryland Paranormal Research ®. All rights reserved.
Old Dundalk: The Dundalk Shopping Center (c 1940s). Pinterest. Source unknown.
