Bright minds at the West Health Institute in San Diego have developed a technology that allows patients in need of physical therapy to perform necessary exercises away from their doctors expert guidance through use of a Microsoft Kinect.
The technology, called the Reflexion Rehabilitation Measurement Tool (RMT), utilises a Windows 7 personal computer and the Microsoft Kinect for Windows motion camera device to keep patients actively and consistently engaged in physical therapy throughout their daily lives.
RMT was built and then tested at the Naval Medical Center of San Diego, where it was used to rehabilitate patients after a musculoskeletal surgery. The program, once prescribed to the patient, gives interactive feedback and presents the participant with educational materials, that will aide the doctor in keeping his or her patient in consistent prescribed therapy.
Spencer Hitchins, the co-inventor and Reflexion Project lead, explained why he thought up the RMT, “The biggest problem with physical therapy is patients not doing enough of it or not doing it properly. We are building a tool to help physical therapists measure progress in a fun way that could potentially help patients heal faster.”
An added benefit of using the RMT is its potential to lower the cost of healthcare without compromising the quality of service. It’s more and more evident that a lot of potential lies in the Kinect and RMT is just one of the many incredibly intuitive and beneficial uses that are possible with it. {West Health Institute]