Showing posts with label Kinect. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kinect. Show all posts
Friday, 5 July 2013
Thursday, 4 July 2013
Disabled access to the Xbox Kinect - hardware and games
Much has been discussed since the release of the Kinect about its accessibility for wheelchair users or those with a disability.
Early on Ablegamers.com published two articles - links below, that present the current issues and presented the hardware as it was back then. They present the issues clearly and honestly, highlighting some potential developments that were hoped would influence game development, with the disabled user in mind.
Kinect and the disabled part 1
Kinect and the disabled part 2
So where are we now? The Kinect is now established as a motion controller, both for the Xbox itself and with a PC. Whilst the Xbox Kinect games continue to cater for the commercial gaming population, the PC setup is slowly turning to address the more bespoke needs of those engaged in therapy or rehabilitation. The main influential factor over the success of any of these newly emerging Therapy games/software is that Microsoft endorse it and have done so by releasing its 'Service Development Kit (SDK)' for anyone to use and develop software with - something Nintendo never did.
This means that anyone with an idea and money to develop can put together a piece of software that will potentially cater for, and address, the needs of a patient and therapist. Software, such as SeeMe Rehabilitation, already demonstrates the potential that the Kinect/PC combination can offer.
There are still limitations though. The Kinect recognises skeletal points in order to work effectively but can still become very confused. Patients who present with hemiplegia, limited active movement in one arm or other similar postural deformities may find that the Kinect does not 'see' them. Equally whilst someone using a self propelled wheelchair will be recognised straight away, someone else using a powered wheelchair, with joystick control for example, may find themselves struggling to be noticed and registered within the game.
Early on Ablegamers.com published two articles - links below, that present the current issues and presented the hardware as it was back then. They present the issues clearly and honestly, highlighting some potential developments that were hoped would influence game development, with the disabled user in mind.
Kinect and the disabled part 1
Kinect and the disabled part 2
So where are we now? The Kinect is now established as a motion controller, both for the Xbox itself and with a PC. Whilst the Xbox Kinect games continue to cater for the commercial gaming population, the PC setup is slowly turning to address the more bespoke needs of those engaged in therapy or rehabilitation. The main influential factor over the success of any of these newly emerging Therapy games/software is that Microsoft endorse it and have done so by releasing its 'Service Development Kit (SDK)' for anyone to use and develop software with - something Nintendo never did.
This means that anyone with an idea and money to develop can put together a piece of software that will potentially cater for, and address, the needs of a patient and therapist. Software, such as SeeMe Rehabilitation, already demonstrates the potential that the Kinect/PC combination can offer.
There are still limitations though. The Kinect recognises skeletal points in order to work effectively but can still become very confused. Patients who present with hemiplegia, limited active movement in one arm or other similar postural deformities may find that the Kinect does not 'see' them. Equally whilst someone using a self propelled wheelchair will be recognised straight away, someone else using a powered wheelchair, with joystick control for example, may find themselves struggling to be noticed and registered within the game.
Tuesday, 5 February 2013
A feasibility study of an upper limb rehabilitation system using kinect and computer games.
Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2012 Aug;2012:1286-9.
Pastor I, Hayes HA, Bamberg SJ.
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Pastor I, Hayes HA, Bamberg SJ.
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Full body gait analysis with Kinect
Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2012 Aug;2012:1964-7.
Gabel M, Gilad-Bachrach R, Renshaw E, Schuster A.
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Abstract
Human gait is an important indicator of health, with applications ranging from diagnosis, monitoring, and rehabilitation. In practice, the use of gait analysis has been limited. Existing gait analysis systems are either expensive, intrusive, or require well-controlled environments such as a clinic or a laboratory. We present an accurate gait analysis system that is economical and non-intrusive. Our system is based on the Kinect sensor and thus can extract comprehensive gait information from all parts of the body. Beyond standard stride information, we also measure arm kinematics, demonstrating the wide range of parameters that can be extracted. We further improve over existing work by using information from the entire body to more accurately measure stride intervals. Our system requires no markers or battery-powered sensors, and instead relies on a single, inexpensive commodity 3D sensor with a large preexisting install base. We suggest that the proposed technique can be used for continuous gait tracking at home.
Click here for more information or here for PDF
Gabel M, Gilad-Bachrach R, Renshaw E, Schuster A.
+/- Click for more/less
Abstract
Human gait is an important indicator of health, with applications ranging from diagnosis, monitoring, and rehabilitation. In practice, the use of gait analysis has been limited. Existing gait analysis systems are either expensive, intrusive, or require well-controlled environments such as a clinic or a laboratory. We present an accurate gait analysis system that is economical and non-intrusive. Our system is based on the Kinect sensor and thus can extract comprehensive gait information from all parts of the body. Beyond standard stride information, we also measure arm kinematics, demonstrating the wide range of parameters that can be extracted. We further improve over existing work by using information from the entire body to more accurately measure stride intervals. Our system requires no markers or battery-powered sensors, and instead relies on a single, inexpensive commodity 3D sensor with a large preexisting install base. We suggest that the proposed technique can be used for continuous gait tracking at home.
Click here for more information or here for PDF
Monday, 4 February 2013
Microsoft testing Kinect therapy system for soldiers.
TUE 18 DEC 2012 10:22PM GMT - Mike Williams
Games Industry
The US military and Microsoft are trying to simplify therapy for injured soldiers Microsoft microsoft.com Microsoft and the United States Air Force are testing the Kinect as part of a home therapy physical suite program for injured soldiers. Microsoft will also be discussing the project with Army's Communications-Electronics Research, Development, and Engineering Center, according to reporting by Defense News. The Kinect hardware is partnered with Infostrat's ReMotion360 physical therapy software.
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“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,” said Microsoft director of public sector solutions Phil West. “The targeted scenarios include therapy-related functions, but they also span training and simulation, interactive user interfaces, and so on.”
The project is part of Microsoft's efforts to use the Kinect outside of the consumer market, with focuses on enterprise and public sector utilization. Other defense-related organizations, including Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, Army Medicine, the Navy's Bureau of Medicine, Lockheed Martin, SAIC and CACI, have looked at the inexpensive motion-tracking capabilities of the Kinect for different purposes.
Click here for more information
Games Industry
The US military and Microsoft are trying to simplify therapy for injured soldiers Microsoft microsoft.com Microsoft and the United States Air Force are testing the Kinect as part of a home therapy physical suite program for injured soldiers. Microsoft will also be discussing the project with Army's Communications-Electronics Research, Development, and Engineering Center, according to reporting by Defense News. The Kinect hardware is partnered with Infostrat's ReMotion360 physical therapy software.
+/- Click for more/less
“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,” said Microsoft director of public sector solutions Phil West. “The targeted scenarios include therapy-related functions, but they also span training and simulation, interactive user interfaces, and so on.”
The project is part of Microsoft's efforts to use the Kinect outside of the consumer market, with focuses on enterprise and public sector utilization. Other defense-related organizations, including Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, Army Medicine, the Navy's Bureau of Medicine, Lockheed Martin, SAIC and CACI, have looked at the inexpensive motion-tracking capabilities of the Kinect for different purposes.
Click here for more information
Thursday, 3 January 2013
Balance recovery through virtual stepping exercises using Kinect skeleton tracking: a follow-up study with chronic stroke patients.
Stud Health Technol Inform. 2012;181:108-12.
Lloréns R, Alcañiz M, Colomer C, Navarro MD. Source Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain.
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Abstract
Stroke patients often suffer from hemiparesis, which affects their balance condition and consequently their self-dependency and quality of life. Balance rehabilitation can be a long and tedious process. Virtual rehabilitation systems have been reported to provide therapeutic benefits to the balance recovery of stroke patients while increasing their motivation. This paper presents a follow-up study involving chronic stroke patients to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of a virtual stepping exercise using skeleton tracking through a low-cost Kinect depth sensor.
Click here for link
Lloréns R, Alcañiz M, Colomer C, Navarro MD. Source Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain.
+/- Click for more/less
Abstract
Stroke patients often suffer from hemiparesis, which affects their balance condition and consequently their self-dependency and quality of life. Balance rehabilitation can be a long and tedious process. Virtual rehabilitation systems have been reported to provide therapeutic benefits to the balance recovery of stroke patients while increasing their motivation. This paper presents a follow-up study involving chronic stroke patients to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of a virtual stepping exercise using skeleton tracking through a low-cost Kinect depth sensor.
Click here for link
Wednesday, 2 January 2013
Physiologic Responses and Energy Expenditure of Kinect Active Video Game Play in Schoolchildren.
Stephen R. Smallwood, MSc; Michael M. Morris, MSc; Stephen J. Fallows, PhD; John P. Buckley, PhD
Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. 2012;166(11):1005-1009.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the physiologic responses and energy expenditure of active video gaming using Kinect for the Xbox 360.
DESIGN Comparison study.
SETTING Kirkby Sports College Centre for Learning, Liverpool, England.
PARTICIPANTS Eighteen school children (10 boys and 8 girls) aged 11 to 15 years.
MAIN EXPOSURE A comparison of a traditional sedentary video game and 2 Kinect activity-promoting video games, Dance Central and Kinect Sports Boxing, each played for 15 minutes. Physiologic responses and energy expenditure were measured using a metabolic analyzer.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Heart rate, oxygen uptake, and energy expenditure.
RESULTS Heart rate, oxygen uptake, and energy expenditure were considerably higher (P < .05) during activity-promoting video game play compared with rest and sedentary video game play. The mean (SD) corresponding oxygen uptake values for the sedentary, dance, and boxing video games were 6.1 (1.3), 12.8 (3.3), and 17.7 (5.1) mL · min-1 · kg-1, respectively. Energy expenditures were 1.5 (0.3), 3.0 (1.0), and 4.4 (1.6) kcal · min-1, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS Dance Central and Kinect Sports Boxing increased energy expenditure by 150% and 263%, respectively, above resting values and were 103% and 194% higher than traditional video gaming. This equates to an increased energy expenditure of up to 172 kcal · h-1 compared with traditional sedentary video game play. Played regularly, active gaming using Kinect for the Xbox 360 could prove to be an effective means for increasing physical activity and energy expenditure in children.
Click here for link
Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. 2012;166(11):1005-1009.
+/- Click for more/less
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the physiologic responses and energy expenditure of active video gaming using Kinect for the Xbox 360.
DESIGN Comparison study.
SETTING Kirkby Sports College Centre for Learning, Liverpool, England.
PARTICIPANTS Eighteen school children (10 boys and 8 girls) aged 11 to 15 years.
MAIN EXPOSURE A comparison of a traditional sedentary video game and 2 Kinect activity-promoting video games, Dance Central and Kinect Sports Boxing, each played for 15 minutes. Physiologic responses and energy expenditure were measured using a metabolic analyzer.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Heart rate, oxygen uptake, and energy expenditure.
RESULTS Heart rate, oxygen uptake, and energy expenditure were considerably higher (P < .05) during activity-promoting video game play compared with rest and sedentary video game play. The mean (SD) corresponding oxygen uptake values for the sedentary, dance, and boxing video games were 6.1 (1.3), 12.8 (3.3), and 17.7 (5.1) mL · min-1 · kg-1, respectively. Energy expenditures were 1.5 (0.3), 3.0 (1.0), and 4.4 (1.6) kcal · min-1, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS Dance Central and Kinect Sports Boxing increased energy expenditure by 150% and 263%, respectively, above resting values and were 103% and 194% higher than traditional video gaming. This equates to an increased energy expenditure of up to 172 kcal · h-1 compared with traditional sedentary video game play. Played regularly, active gaming using Kinect for the Xbox 360 could prove to be an effective means for increasing physical activity and energy expenditure in children.
Click here for link
Tuesday, 1 January 2013
Exergames for the elderly: towards an embedded Kinect-based clinical test of falls risk.
Stud Health Technol Inform. 2012;178:51-7.
Garcia JA, Felix Navarro K, Schoene D, Smith ST, Pisan Y.
University of Technology Sydney, FEIT, Australia.
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Abstract
Falls are the leading cause of disability, injuries or even death among older adults. Exercise programmes that include a balance component reduce the risk of falling by 40%. However, such interventions are often perceived as boring and drop-out rates are high. The characteristics of videogames may overcome this weakness and increase exercise adherence. The use of modern input devices, such as the Microsoft Kinect, enables quantification of player performance in terms of motor function while engaging with games. This capability has just started to be explored. The work presented in this paper focuses on the development of a Kinect-based system to deliver step training while simultaneously measuring parameters of stepping performance that have shown to predict falls in older people.
Click here for link
Garcia JA, Felix Navarro K, Schoene D, Smith ST, Pisan Y.
University of Technology Sydney, FEIT, Australia.
+/- Click for more/less
Abstract
Falls are the leading cause of disability, injuries or even death among older adults. Exercise programmes that include a balance component reduce the risk of falling by 40%. However, such interventions are often perceived as boring and drop-out rates are high. The characteristics of videogames may overcome this weakness and increase exercise adherence. The use of modern input devices, such as the Microsoft Kinect, enables quantification of player performance in terms of motor function while engaging with games. This capability has just started to be explored. The work presented in this paper focuses on the development of a Kinect-based system to deliver step training while simultaneously measuring parameters of stepping performance that have shown to predict falls in older people.
Click here for link
Saturday, 4 August 2012
Research: Validity of the Microsoft Kinect for assessment of postural control.
Gait Posture. 2012 Jul;36(3):372-7.
Clark RA, Pua YH, Fortin K, Ritchie C, Webster KE, Denehy L, Bryant AL.
Source: Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Abstract
Clinically feasible methods of assessing postural control such as timed standing balance and functional reach tests provide important information, however, they cannot accurately quantify specific postural control mechanisms. The Microsoft Kinect™ system provides real-time anatomical landmark position data in three dimensions (3D), and given that it is inexpensive, portable and simple to setup it may bridge this gap. This study assessed the concurrent validity of the Microsoft Kinect™ against a benchmark reference, a multiple-camera 3D motion analysis system, in 20 healthy subjects during three postural control tests: (i) forward reach, (ii) lateral reach, and (iii) single-leg eyes-closed standing balance. For the reach tests, the outcome measures consisted of distance reached and trunk flexion angle in the sagittal (forward reach) and coronal (lateral reach) planes. For the standing balance test the range and deviation of movement in the anatomical landmark positions for the sternum, pelvis, knee and ankle and the lateral and anterior trunk flexion angle were assessed. The Microsoft Kinect™ and 3D motion analysis systems had comparable inter-trial reliability (ICC difference=0.06±0.05; range, 0.00-0.16) and excellent concurrent validity, with Pearson's r-values >0.90 for the majority of measurements (r=0.96±0.04; range, 0.84-0.99). However, ordinary least products analyses demonstrated proportional biases for some outcome measures associated with the pelvis and sternum. These findings suggest that the Microsoft Kinect™ can validly assess kinematic strategies of postural control. Given the potential benefits it could therefore become a useful tool for assessing postural control in the clinical setting.
Click for more information
Clark RA, Pua YH, Fortin K, Ritchie C, Webster KE, Denehy L, Bryant AL.
Source: Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Abstract
Clinically feasible methods of assessing postural control such as timed standing balance and functional reach tests provide important information, however, they cannot accurately quantify specific postural control mechanisms. The Microsoft Kinect™ system provides real-time anatomical landmark position data in three dimensions (3D), and given that it is inexpensive, portable and simple to setup it may bridge this gap. This study assessed the concurrent validity of the Microsoft Kinect™ against a benchmark reference, a multiple-camera 3D motion analysis system, in 20 healthy subjects during three postural control tests: (i) forward reach, (ii) lateral reach, and (iii) single-leg eyes-closed standing balance. For the reach tests, the outcome measures consisted of distance reached and trunk flexion angle in the sagittal (forward reach) and coronal (lateral reach) planes. For the standing balance test the range and deviation of movement in the anatomical landmark positions for the sternum, pelvis, knee and ankle and the lateral and anterior trunk flexion angle were assessed. The Microsoft Kinect™ and 3D motion analysis systems had comparable inter-trial reliability (ICC difference=0.06±0.05; range, 0.00-0.16) and excellent concurrent validity, with Pearson's r-values >0.90 for the majority of measurements (r=0.96±0.04; range, 0.84-0.99). However, ordinary least products analyses demonstrated proportional biases for some outcome measures associated with the pelvis and sternum. These findings suggest that the Microsoft Kinect™ can validly assess kinematic strategies of postural control. Given the potential benefits it could therefore become a useful tool for assessing postural control in the clinical setting.
Click for more information
Tuesday, 10 July 2012
Burn Calories on Kinect, Track Them With Kinect PlayFit
July 10, 2012
REDMOND, Wash
Kinect PlayFit is a new fitness dashboard on Xbox LIVE that lets players track the calories they burn while having fun with Kinect. The new dashboard joins a growing number of titles and experiences that use Kinect as a fitness tool.
Microsoft today unveiled Kinect PlayFit, a new Kinect fitness dashboard on Xbox LIVE that lets players track calories burned across multiple Kinect games. Available as a free download from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace, the app calculates and aggregates the calories players burn so they can track their progress over time, see how they rank against friends, and earn Xbox achievements.
The goal of the app is to motivate families to get off the couch and reward them for having fun, said Chuck Frizelle, executive producer for Kinect PlayFit.
“We’re trying to show that Kinect is not only fun but healthy for you, too,” he said. “Ultimately, Kinect PlayFit is a motivational tool. We want to motivate people to change their behavior and be more active.”
Kinect PlayFit will track fitness progress across a dozen games at first, with more titles to come later, Frizelle said. The dashboard lets players view their daily, weekly, monthly, and overall calorie burn totals, and Xbox leaderboards offer the chance to compare progress with friends and the overall Xbox LIVE community. Players can also earn up to 20 Xbox achievements, including bonus avatar awards, and post them on Facebook.
Kinect PlayFit joins a growing number of games and experiences such as “ Kinect Sports ,” “ Zumba Fitness ,” and the upcoming “Nike+ Kinect Training” that highlight how Kinect is bringing fitness into the living room, said Dave McCarthy, general manager for Kids and Lifestyle Entertainment in Microsoft Studios.
“With our new fitness dashboard, we are acknowledging that Kinect games are a legitimate part of an active lifestyle,” he said. “If you just want to be active and celebrate that, and maybe have fun and compete with your friends, Kinect PlayFit really opens up a whole different world for you.”
he device’s impact on health is spreading beyond entertainment as Kinect for Windows pushes the platform beyond the living room. Developers are now tapping the Kinect capabilities for a wide range of health scenarios, including home physical therapy and remote patient monitoring, which could play a role in the ongoing discussion around healthcare reform.
Click here for full article
REDMOND, Wash
Kinect PlayFit is a new fitness dashboard on Xbox LIVE that lets players track the calories they burn while having fun with Kinect. The new dashboard joins a growing number of titles and experiences that use Kinect as a fitness tool.
Microsoft today unveiled Kinect PlayFit, a new Kinect fitness dashboard on Xbox LIVE that lets players track calories burned across multiple Kinect games. Available as a free download from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace, the app calculates and aggregates the calories players burn so they can track their progress over time, see how they rank against friends, and earn Xbox achievements.
The goal of the app is to motivate families to get off the couch and reward them for having fun, said Chuck Frizelle, executive producer for Kinect PlayFit.
“We’re trying to show that Kinect is not only fun but healthy for you, too,” he said. “Ultimately, Kinect PlayFit is a motivational tool. We want to motivate people to change their behavior and be more active.”
Kinect PlayFit will track fitness progress across a dozen games at first, with more titles to come later, Frizelle said. The dashboard lets players view their daily, weekly, monthly, and overall calorie burn totals, and Xbox leaderboards offer the chance to compare progress with friends and the overall Xbox LIVE community. Players can also earn up to 20 Xbox achievements, including bonus avatar awards, and post them on Facebook.
Kinect PlayFit joins a growing number of games and experiences such as “ Kinect Sports ,” “ Zumba Fitness ,” and the upcoming “Nike+ Kinect Training” that highlight how Kinect is bringing fitness into the living room, said Dave McCarthy, general manager for Kids and Lifestyle Entertainment in Microsoft Studios.
“With our new fitness dashboard, we are acknowledging that Kinect games are a legitimate part of an active lifestyle,” he said. “If you just want to be active and celebrate that, and maybe have fun and compete with your friends, Kinect PlayFit really opens up a whole different world for you.”
he device’s impact on health is spreading beyond entertainment as Kinect for Windows pushes the platform beyond the living room. Developers are now tapping the Kinect capabilities for a wide range of health scenarios, including home physical therapy and remote patient monitoring, which could play a role in the ongoing discussion around healthcare reform.
Click here for full article
Tuesday, 3 July 2012
SeeMe Rehab software review
SeeMe is a virtual reality software that encourages a variety of physical skills that are commonly incorporated within general therapy sessions. It is a specially designed rehabilitative software that uses a PC/laptop and a Kinect. In a nut shell the programme is well thought out and aimed specifically at therapists for use with patients who are working on balance skills, alongside problem solving, reaction speed, proprioception and upper limb co-ordination skills.
The software offers control over the range and quality of the movement required to play the games along with control over the period of time played, level of difficulty and the colour of back drops to maximise the patients success based on both preference, accessibility and ability.
The games included in the software are listed on the developers website along with details of what each game entails. Whilst the game doesn't list the conditions the software can be used with, the general aim of most of the games revolve around balance, with a bilateral stance, and or upper limb range of movement. By choosing different games and using the flexible settings, it is possible to set the games up to be used with a wide range of patients presenting with a spectrum of physical abilities or limitations.
The following video demonstrates an overview of the software.
The flexibility that the programme offers easily enables the therapist and patient to set achievable goals and therefore the ability to start the games at a level that encourages motivation and enables success. Progression towards goals is easy to monitor, follow and document with the programme recording and allowing results to be saved.
Below explains what data is recorded/measured from each game, giving an idea of the possible outcome measures that can be obtained from the games in isolation or collectively.
For SeeMe Ball the programme collects information regarding accuracy, activity (left and right) aswell as the positive and negative actions produced during game play.
SeeMe Cleaner reports statsitcs of efficiency and left/right activity.
SeeMe React collects information and data about the accuracy of the players choices and about the activity in general which includes the movement time, positive and negative actions on each upper limb.
SeeMe Raft collects data on the accuracy, the activity and the number of positive and negative actions occuring during the game.
SeeMe Maze collects and presents information regarding accuracy, activity and the blocks movement, which can be interpreted as the number of box moves in a certain time.
SeeMe Space similarly collects accuracy and left/right activity information.
SeeMe Sorter collects data on the eficiency of the play along with activity of left and right side.
Print outs of the data is easily achieved with full control of which statistics to be printed being given to the therapist. Print outs can compare previous sessions - reporting all collected statistics or just comparing one. Examples of the different reports are found within the demo or by clicking on the following links.
From the above list of available statistics is possible to recognise the potential of this piece of software to record patient activity and progression.
The programme in its full edition allows multiple therapists to sign in and use the software, allowing them to each record patient details on file. The patient records are saved alongside their game setup - saving precious time each session and allowing for patients to start new sessions exactly where the left off, which is often difficult to achieve with other console games.
There a very few negative comments about this programme. Firstly though, on the positive side, it is very therapy friendly. Its easy to install and navigate around. The setup of each game is easy to master due to the simple layout of controls. The recording of patient results and the ability to print out their progress is an important attribute, providing its own outcome recording system. The ability to use a projector and have the screens split, so that the set up screen is on the laptop and the 'play screen' is on the projector, means that distractions possible from the setup screen is minimal.
The downsides are really only two fold. One - it is quite expensive. With the setup of the hardware including access to a PC/laptop (which most therapists already have) and a Kinect camera at a cost of around £100 (at time of writing), the programme comes in at $3999. The only other downside that was met during testing was that the Kinect doesn't always pick up the skeletal points when someone is sat in a wheelchair with a head rest. It was fairly intermittent and not a failure of the software - more of the Kinect itself (which has the same problem to a more noticeable degree when being used with the Xbox). Unfortunately it hasn't been possible to identify exactly when and why wheelchair users or use of equipment does/doesn't register - this is ongoing with regards to trial and error. The software does work with basic walking aids, standing slings, sitting on a normal chair or the edge of a plinth - enabling many patients to benefit without any problems at all.
A demo version is available on the website and if you have access to a PC/laptop and Kinect camera then I would strongly recommend trialling the programme. If this is a taste of the quality of programmes set to be available with the use of the Kinect camera, then therapy is in for a real treat.
For more information from the developers website - click here
The software offers control over the range and quality of the movement required to play the games along with control over the period of time played, level of difficulty and the colour of back drops to maximise the patients success based on both preference, accessibility and ability.
The games included in the software are listed on the developers website along with details of what each game entails. Whilst the game doesn't list the conditions the software can be used with, the general aim of most of the games revolve around balance, with a bilateral stance, and or upper limb range of movement. By choosing different games and using the flexible settings, it is possible to set the games up to be used with a wide range of patients presenting with a spectrum of physical abilities or limitations.
The following video demonstrates an overview of the software.
The flexibility that the programme offers easily enables the therapist and patient to set achievable goals and therefore the ability to start the games at a level that encourages motivation and enables success. Progression towards goals is easy to monitor, follow and document with the programme recording and allowing results to be saved.
Below explains what data is recorded/measured from each game, giving an idea of the possible outcome measures that can be obtained from the games in isolation or collectively.
For SeeMe Ball the programme collects information regarding accuracy, activity (left and right) aswell as the positive and negative actions produced during game play.
SeeMe Cleaner reports statsitcs of efficiency and left/right activity.
SeeMe React collects information and data about the accuracy of the players choices and about the activity in general which includes the movement time, positive and negative actions on each upper limb.
SeeMe Raft collects data on the accuracy, the activity and the number of positive and negative actions occuring during the game.
SeeMe Maze collects and presents information regarding accuracy, activity and the blocks movement, which can be interpreted as the number of box moves in a certain time.
SeeMe Space similarly collects accuracy and left/right activity information.
SeeMe Sorter collects data on the eficiency of the play along with activity of left and right side.
Print outs of the data is easily achieved with full control of which statistics to be printed being given to the therapist. Print outs can compare previous sessions - reporting all collected statistics or just comparing one. Examples of the different reports are found within the demo or by clicking on the following links.
From the above list of available statistics is possible to recognise the potential of this piece of software to record patient activity and progression.
The programme in its full edition allows multiple therapists to sign in and use the software, allowing them to each record patient details on file. The patient records are saved alongside their game setup - saving precious time each session and allowing for patients to start new sessions exactly where the left off, which is often difficult to achieve with other console games.
There a very few negative comments about this programme. Firstly though, on the positive side, it is very therapy friendly. Its easy to install and navigate around. The setup of each game is easy to master due to the simple layout of controls. The recording of patient results and the ability to print out their progress is an important attribute, providing its own outcome recording system. The ability to use a projector and have the screens split, so that the set up screen is on the laptop and the 'play screen' is on the projector, means that distractions possible from the setup screen is minimal.
The downsides are really only two fold. One - it is quite expensive. With the setup of the hardware including access to a PC/laptop (which most therapists already have) and a Kinect camera at a cost of around £100 (at time of writing), the programme comes in at $3999. The only other downside that was met during testing was that the Kinect doesn't always pick up the skeletal points when someone is sat in a wheelchair with a head rest. It was fairly intermittent and not a failure of the software - more of the Kinect itself (which has the same problem to a more noticeable degree when being used with the Xbox). Unfortunately it hasn't been possible to identify exactly when and why wheelchair users or use of equipment does/doesn't register - this is ongoing with regards to trial and error. The software does work with basic walking aids, standing slings, sitting on a normal chair or the edge of a plinth - enabling many patients to benefit without any problems at all.
A demo version is available on the website and if you have access to a PC/laptop and Kinect camera then I would strongly recommend trialling the programme. If this is a taste of the quality of programmes set to be available with the use of the Kinect camera, then therapy is in for a real treat.
For more information from the developers website - click here
Monday, 2 July 2012
Tuesday, 26 June 2012
Startups Try to Help Microsoft's Kinect Grow Up Beyond Gaming.
BY DINA BASS | MAY 21, 2012
Microsoft’s Kinect motion sensor lets gamers wield a light saber or slice falling fruit ninja-style, but Jintronix sees a more serious use — rehabilitating patients who have suffered a stroke or spinal cord injury.
Jintronix is among 11 startups housed at Microsoft as part of the software giant’s 13-week accelerator program, which is designed to help developers build apps around Kinect for Windows, a version of the Xbox device that has been tweaked for the personal computer to broaden the technology’s reach in the home and office.
Click for more information
Microsoft’s Kinect motion sensor lets gamers wield a light saber or slice falling fruit ninja-style, but Jintronix sees a more serious use — rehabilitating patients who have suffered a stroke or spinal cord injury.
Jintronix is among 11 startups housed at Microsoft as part of the software giant’s 13-week accelerator program, which is designed to help developers build apps around Kinect for Windows, a version of the Xbox device that has been tweaked for the personal computer to broaden the technology’s reach in the home and office.
Click for more information
Thursday, 21 June 2012
An evolution for the Jintronix hardware - Stroke Rehab and Virtual Reality
This week Jintronix is pleased to officially announce a new direction for the hardware component of our solution. In order to fully compliment our adaptive software we have decided to evolve past out initial glove and camera set-up, to utilizing the Microsoft Kinect. This decision aligns with our corporate mission of offering easy to use and accessible systems.
The Kinect is a camera system, developed by Microsoft, which is able to track the gross motor movements and relative angles of the patient’s upper and lower body limbs. Originally designed for use with their X-Box gaming system, Microsoft has since released software that allows the Kinect to be used on both laptop and desktop computers.
Click for more information
http://www.jintronix.com/ - company website
The Kinect is a camera system, developed by Microsoft, which is able to track the gross motor movements and relative angles of the patient’s upper and lower body limbs. Originally designed for use with their X-Box gaming system, Microsoft has since released software that allows the Kinect to be used on both laptop and desktop computers.
Click for more information
http://www.jintronix.com/ - company website
Tuesday, 19 June 2012
Kinect imaging lets surgeons keep their focus.
17 May 2012 by MacGregor Campbell
New Scientist
THE surgeon enters the operating theatre, covered in sterile blue scrubs. Machines beep and hiss. Nurses wait, tools at the ready: scalpel, forceps, bandage, Xbox... Xbox?
On Tuesday last week, a surgeon at Guy's and St Thomas' hospital in London began trials of a new device that uses an Xbox Kinect camera to sense body position. Just by waving his arms the surgeon can consult and sift through medical images, such as CT scans or real-time X-rays, while in the middle of an operation.
Maintaining a sterile environment in the operating room is paramount, but scrubbing in and out to scroll through scan images mid-operation can be time-consuming and break a surgeon's concentration or sense of flow. Depending on the type of surgery, a surgeon will stop and consult medical images anywhere from once an hour to every few minutes. To avoid leaving the table, many surgeons rely on assistants to manipulate the computer for them, a distracting and sometimes frustrating process.
"Up until now, I'd been calling out across the room to one of our technical assistants, asking them to manipulate the image, rotate one way, rotate the other, pan up, pan down, zoom in, zoom out," says Tom Carrell, a consultant vascular surgeon at Guy's and St Thomas', who led the operation on 8 May to repair an aneurism in a patient's aorta. With the Kinect, he says, "I had very intuitive control".
Click here for more
New Scientist
THE surgeon enters the operating theatre, covered in sterile blue scrubs. Machines beep and hiss. Nurses wait, tools at the ready: scalpel, forceps, bandage, Xbox... Xbox?
On Tuesday last week, a surgeon at Guy's and St Thomas' hospital in London began trials of a new device that uses an Xbox Kinect camera to sense body position. Just by waving his arms the surgeon can consult and sift through medical images, such as CT scans or real-time X-rays, while in the middle of an operation.
Maintaining a sterile environment in the operating room is paramount, but scrubbing in and out to scroll through scan images mid-operation can be time-consuming and break a surgeon's concentration or sense of flow. Depending on the type of surgery, a surgeon will stop and consult medical images anywhere from once an hour to every few minutes. To avoid leaving the table, many surgeons rely on assistants to manipulate the computer for them, a distracting and sometimes frustrating process.
"Up until now, I'd been calling out across the room to one of our technical assistants, asking them to manipulate the image, rotate one way, rotate the other, pan up, pan down, zoom in, zoom out," says Tom Carrell, a consultant vascular surgeon at Guy's and St Thomas', who led the operation on 8 May to repair an aneurism in a patient's aorta. With the Kinect, he says, "I had very intuitive control".
Click here for more
Wednesday, 6 June 2012
A Therapists guide to the Kinect
The Microsoft Kinect continues to develop as a potential tool to be used within rehabilitation. The following link to a page on wiihabilitation.co.uk explains how the Kinect can be used alongside gaming consoles, laptops or PCs to enable movement controlled games that have potential within the rehab arena.
Click here for Kinect within Therapy webpage.
Information from the webpage is as follows:
Kinect within Therapy
Recent developments within the world of technology have seen an increase in usage of the Kinect primesense camera within rehabilitation.
The Kinect was released as a motion controlled sensor for the Microsoft Xbox in November 2010. Since then Microsoft have released what are known as its SDK - Service Development Kits, which enable programmers to develop software that will work with the Kinect - something that Nintendo have never done.
Read below for an overview of the Kinect - how it works and its potential within therapy, or browse the blog site 'Kinect'in Therapy'.
If you have any questions about the use of the Kinect, please feel free to get in touch.
Click here for Kinect within Therapy webpage.
Information from the webpage is as follows:
Kinect within Therapy
Recent developments within the world of technology have seen an increase in usage of the Kinect primesense camera within rehabilitation.
The Kinect was released as a motion controlled sensor for the Microsoft Xbox in November 2010. Since then Microsoft have released what are known as its SDK - Service Development Kits, which enable programmers to develop software that will work with the Kinect - something that Nintendo have never done.
Read below for an overview of the Kinect - how it works and its potential within therapy, or browse the blog site 'Kinect'in Therapy'.
If you have any questions about the use of the Kinect, please feel free to get in touch.
1. Xbox & Kinect – the obvious starting point as it demos the motion control potential at a ‘commercial’ level. Its application in therapy is less appropriate though due to the high level of quality of movement to make selections and control movements. The games often present the player/patient as an avatar, which I think challenges the perception of body image for some people with deformities/limited movements.
2. SeeMe rehabilitation software – PC based software using the Kinect Camera. A well thought out piece of software. The website is as follows: http://www.virtual-reality-rehabilitation.com/products/seeme/what-is-seeme Its worth getting a demo version and having a go – it ticks a lot of boxes with regards to flexible and measurable movement activities that can easily be incorporated into therapy sessions. A review is due to be available on the Kinect'in Therapy Blog site soon.
3. FAAST – http://projects.ict.usc.edu/mxr/faast/ FAAST is an emulator that interprets movements created into key strokes which enables windows based games or applications to be controlled through movement. Theres quite a bit of setup in this, but the researchers have been developing games within rehab – its worth looking at their ‘Jewel Thief’ using the primesense camera video on youtube.
4. Kinect2scratch – http://scratch.mit.edu/ Scratch is a basic programming studio which enables ‘anyone’ to write a computer program. There is some software called Kinect2Scratch that links the Kinect camera to the programming studio – meaning that some games can be controlled using motion control via the kinect camera. A couple of students in Ireland and putting together some simple rehab games using this method. Their webpage with more info is http://www.projectmapr.com/
5. Kinect for Microsoft SDK – This is likely to be where most of the development comes from. Unlike Nintendo who have kept coding/programmer commercial, Microsoft has invited people to write their own programs/software. I don’t write programs but I have downloaded the SDK and had a good number of the applications working with ease – e.g the mouse controller and paint program. They aren’t rehab orientated as such, but do demonstrate the quality and control that is achievable.
2. SeeMe rehabilitation software – PC based software using the Kinect Camera. A well thought out piece of software. The website is as follows: http://www.virtual-reality-rehabilitation.com/products/seeme/what-is-seeme Its worth getting a demo version and having a go – it ticks a lot of boxes with regards to flexible and measurable movement activities that can easily be incorporated into therapy sessions. A review is due to be available on the Kinect'in Therapy Blog site soon.
3. FAAST – http://projects.ict.usc.edu/mxr/faast/ FAAST is an emulator that interprets movements created into key strokes which enables windows based games or applications to be controlled through movement. Theres quite a bit of setup in this, but the researchers have been developing games within rehab – its worth looking at their ‘Jewel Thief’ using the primesense camera video on youtube.
4. Kinect2scratch – http://scratch.mit.edu/ Scratch is a basic programming studio which enables ‘anyone’ to write a computer program. There is some software called Kinect2Scratch that links the Kinect camera to the programming studio – meaning that some games can be controlled using motion control via the kinect camera. A couple of students in Ireland and putting together some simple rehab games using this method. Their webpage with more info is http://www.projectmapr.com/
5. Kinect for Microsoft SDK – This is likely to be where most of the development comes from. Unlike Nintendo who have kept coding/programmer commercial, Microsoft has invited people to write their own programs/software. I don’t write programs but I have downloaded the SDK and had a good number of the applications working with ease – e.g the mouse controller and paint program. They aren’t rehab orientated as such, but do demonstrate the quality and control that is achievable.
Saturday, 26 May 2012
Inside Kinect - for those interested!
Anyone interested in how the Kinect works should take a look at the following link. It explains the cameras and mechanisms that the Kinect contains and its workings in general.
Inside Kinect link to main article
Inside Kinect link to main article
Thursday, 24 May 2012
Kinect cameras watch for autism - New Scientist
Diagnosing an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in young children is tricky, but the earlier a child can begin speech therapy and get help learning social and communication skills, the better. Many different symptoms may suggest a child has an ASD, but they are subtle. It usually takes an experienced doctor to spot the signs by analysing video footage of the child playing - a costly and time-consuming process.
To find out if a computer can automate all or part of this process, Guillermo Sapiro, Nikolaos Papanikolopoulos and colleagues have fitted the nursery with five Kinect depth-sensing camera rigs to monitor groups of around 10 children aged between 3 and 5 years old as they play.
Click here for more information from original article
To find out if a computer can automate all or part of this process, Guillermo Sapiro, Nikolaos Papanikolopoulos and colleagues have fitted the nursery with five Kinect depth-sensing camera rigs to monitor groups of around 10 children aged between 3 and 5 years old as they play.
Click here for more information from original article
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Abstract
A new low-cost system for rehabilitation of the impaired upper limb for stroke survivors is presented. A computer game was developed specifically for this purpose and the user's impaired upper extremity is tracked using a downward-pointed Kinect, an inexpensive motion capture system commercially available from Microsoft. A Kalman filter was implemented to reduce data jittering. Patients are required to move their impaired arm, sliding it on top of a transparent support, in order to play the game. The game is personalized to the patient through specific settings that adapt to the patient's range of motion and motor control at the start of the game as well as performance during the game. The final score is proportional to the arm's movement speed. A feasibility study was carried out with one stroke survivor. The game was played for ten days and usability surveys were answered before and after the study. The patient was engaged with the game, found it easy to understand and reported willingness to use it in the home environment and enjoyment of the use in the clinic.
Click here for PDF