Soon after the Kinect's 2010 release, hardware hackers wrote code that let them control the device so they could use it for their own projects.

BBC: Microsoft shares code for Kinect for Windows game gadget

Now using the open source code, enterprising hackers have jerry-rigged everything from virtual piano keyboards that let users play the piano anywhere, to an application for 3D drawings and digital puppeteering.

FORBES: For PrimeSense, Microsoft's Kinect Is Just the Beginning

But, warns MasterCard senior vice-president Robin Townend, hackers could crack the code within three years of its implementation.

CNN: ASIANOW - Asiaweek