Modifying the Kinect to be able to do what they want wasn't easy. The group had to join forces with Microsoft Research to make sure the camera beams specific frequencies of light and to develop an algorithm that can separate reflections from different depths. You can read the technical explanation behind their work on MIT's website, but you can see the results in the image above.

Paris Diderot University physics professor Laurent Daudet said he particularly enjoyed that the team used a consumer product for their work. "For this challenging problem," he added, "everyone would think that you'd need expensive, research-grade, bulky lab equipment. This is a very elegant and inspiring line of work." The system could lead to reasonably priced cameras with built-in anti-glare feature, but most likely not anytime soon.

A different team from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory also worked with Google to develop an algorithm for reflection-free photos. Their method involves using different frames from a short video to separate obstructions (reflections, fences, etc.) from the actual object you want to capture.