University adapting videogame technology to help physically disabled computer users

TOKYO —

The University of Tokyo Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, in conjunction with Microsoft Japan, has launched trials of new a computer program that utilize Microsoft’s Kinect for Windows technology as a way for physically disabled people to communicate and interact with computers.

For the uninitiated, Kinect is a motion-sensing camera designed for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console and Windows PCs that tracks users’ body movements and is capable of recognizing voice commands. The technology first became available for Xbox users just under two years ago, with Microsoft heralding a new age of gameplay where “you are the controller”, seeing users flapping around their living-rooms like maniacs to control their video games.

The clever folks at RCAST have put together an incredible new piece of software, known as OAK, that allows severely disabled people to interact with computers. The system is able to recognize both movement and depth of field, meaning that even users whose movement is heavily restricted could potentially operate a computer.

The Kinect unit’s camera has been optimized to focus on key areas of the user’s body, particularly the face, and, along with the use of voice recognition, allows users to communicate their intentions far more freely than before.

So, even though decent Kinect-controlled videogames remain thin on the ground and many game developers are becoming increasingly shy of utilizing the device, it would seem that the technology still has the potential to do a lot of good.