CVG
Earlier this year we brought news that the Kinect helped a stroke victim send an email. Now, Japan's Kyushu University and a private hospital in Fukuoka have developed a game to help stroke victims walk again.
The game, titled Rehabilium Kiritsu-kun, has been developed to help stroke victims regain motor skills.
Using the Kinect, the game instructs players to stand and sit, which then causes a tree in the game to grow. This will allow patients to develop their motor skills with simple rehabilitation activities in an enjoyable way.
According to reports, the animated tree idea was inspired from a scene in the animated movie My Neighbor Totoro.
The Asahi Shimbun has reported that a beta version was tested by 82 patients who increased the number of repetitions they could perform by an average of 17% to 23%.
The game comes with an included RFID tag, which users place over a sensor in order to track and print out their progress.
Rehabilium Kiritsu-kun will go on sale in December with a considered price tag of 100,000 to 150,000 yen ($1,166 - $1,748).
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/380576/blog/kinect-game-helps-stroke-victims-walk-again/
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201211270001
