UK university researching stroke victim recovery with the Kinect

A university in the UK will conduct research using the Kinect to help stroke victims, Eurogamer reports.

Dr. Philip Breedon of Nottingham Trent University will lead the project, which has already been awarded £347,000; the grant will be used to build a prototype that incorporates the Kinect. Once complete, the system will attempt to detect and track asymmetries on a patient's face as they perform facial exercises and provide real-time feedback via a TV or monitor. It will also lead patients through exercises and track their levels of success for each task.

According to Dr. Breedon, the Kinect-powered system will try to be an improvement on the traditional form of testing, which involves patients doing exercises on paper.

This will be done "firstly by the patient themselves getting real-time feedback on position and magnitude of asymmetries of the face, along with changes over time, thus showing where to concentrate their effots," Breedon said. "Secondly, the therapist will get to see the data produced whenever the patient exercises."

"[Therapists] will get to see the data produced whenever the patient exercises."

The National Institute for Health Research Invention for Innovation will fund the project. Research begins in April and is expected to last 18 months.

Researchers have previously used the Kinect to help stroke victims. A game called Rehabilium Kiritsu-kun aided in developing motor skills by directing players to stand and sit. Other stroke victims have used the Kinect to send emails and even improve their mobility.