The Microsoft Kinect while designed to be a gaming accessory has found uses in other fields, especially in the medical field where it has been used to treat Parkinson’s and to aid with stroke recovery. Well here’s one more use of the Kinect that Microsoft can add to the list – the treatment of patients with multiple sclerosis.
This is thanks to researchers at Ohio State University who have recently been given a grant from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to conduct research and development which would help advance the program. As it stands the researchers plan to treat multiple sclerosis through constrain-induced therapy.
According to associate professor of computer science and engineering Robert Crawfis, “[Constrain-induced] therapy has been shown to be a promising motor rehabilitation for [Multiple Sclerosis]. We hope that our gamified version of it will be a viable in-home alternative for people with hand and arm weakness from MS.”
Assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation Lynne Gauthier adds, “Rehabilitation options are very limited for the MS population and, for those who do have access to rehabilitation, transportation to a clinic is often challenging and worsens fatigue. We are looking forward to working with the MS community to customize the game-based intervention and to capture meaningful outcomes.”
In the meantime if you want to see how the program works, check out the video above in which a “game” of Recovery Rapids is played to help facilitate constrain-induced therapy.