Kinect software helps rehabilitate stroke victims

Engineers at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Hong Kong, China) have developed a free software game for the Microsoft Kinect that aims to help rehabilitate individuals who have suffered a stroke.

The research team that developed the game for the Kinect system was led by Dr. Raymond Tong Kai-yu, an associate professor of Biomedical Engineering, who realized that the Kinect could be put to use to assist stroke victims who are often required to perform repetitive body movements as part of their treatment.

Using the so-called "KineLabs" software, stroke patients are required to lift up their hands and move their upper limbs, after which the software generates a report on how successfully they have performed the different actions.

All a user requires to use the software is a Kinect sensor connected to a PC, a TV or computer screen. Members of the public can download a free copy of the interactive game from the dedicated webpage here.

The software recently won a silver award in the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2012.

-- Dave Wilson, Senior Editor, Vision Systems Design