Microsoft is currently discussing and testing the use of motion control hardware Kinect with the US Army’s Communications-Electronics Research, Development, and Engineering Center for a home therapy physical suite program that will help injured soldiers. The Kinect hardware is used in conjunction with Infostrat’s ReMotion360 physical therapy software.
Microsoft director of public sector solutions Phil West stated to Defense News that, “Microsoft is committing R&D and marketing resources to ensure that the [Defense Department] community is aware of the capabilities of the product, as well as the breadth of our partner community, which includes the system integrators. The targeted scenarios include therapy-related functions, but they also span training and simulation, interactive user interfaces, and so on.”
Microsoft is also exploring the possibiliy of using Kinect hardware to connect post-traumatic disorder victims with group therapy sessions.
As West states, “They can use avatars, which allows anonymity, but also allows for representatives who are therapists or licensed psychiatrists to connect with them. Therapists can say, ‘I know who you are because I have your case file. No one else in the room has to see in your face.’ It gives a way to engage and talk through problems while preserving anonymity.”
Source: GIBiz
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