Although plenty of us are content with using the latest video game technology such as Microsoft’s Kinect to simulate flailing around in order to hit a virtual tennis ball, scientists are finding incredible uses for these devices that have already led to advances in the medical field. Microsoft Research released a video earlier this week showing off Stroke Recovery with Kinect, an amazing project “that provides a virtual reality system to help stroke survivors improve their upper-limb motor functioning in the comfort of their own home.”
Stroke patients can get direct feedback about their recovery from the Kinect, which is able to capture the skeletal movements in real-time and relay the information back to the user. Stroke Recovery with Kinect features “three game-like exercises,” each of which requires the user to test his or her dexterity. This software could serve as an affordable, accessible addition to the recovery process for future sufferers. Check out a video of the program in action at Microsoft Research.
