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Forums - Microsoft - Microsoft Want To Use The 360 For Health Care

 

As of right now, you can use an Xbox 360 to play games, watch movies, listen to music and communicate with people. In the future, however, Microsoft would like you to also use it for health care.

The R&D guys at Microsoft Research are hard at work finding ways for new uses for the Xbox 360, and some are currently focused on getting the 360 into hospital rooms. One potential application is to combine the 360's relatively low cost and dedicated performance to "feed information from electronic medical records onto in-room display screens for patients".

Upcoming camera/motion sensing peripheral Project Natal is also being looked at, a possible use for the device being a means of filtering patient information: being able to differentiate between individuals, Natal could adjust the amount of patient detail being displayed depending on whether a doctor or family member was in the room.

Natal could also, through it's controller-free input, be used as a way to not only allow sick and injured hospital patients to play video games without the need to hold or manipulate a device, but also give them easy access to hospital services and even - in a first for the Xbox 360 - internet browsing (though we'd imagine if this ever came to be they'd be custom pieces of hardware, not off-the-shelf consoles).



                                  

                                       That's Gordon Freeman in "Real-Life"
 

 

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Since they removed the custom processing chip, they could theoretically use the Natal software with any infrared camera as long as the output was standard. I imagine this is probably where MS is heading with this, and another main reason to separate the software from the hardware.

Hospital applications are good, physical therapy, etc.



Yeah, maybe there will be an optional add-on to the natal for other useful purposes?



                                  

                                       That's Gordon Freeman in "Real-Life"
 

 

Huh never thought they'd want to venture into the medical field with the 360.



Doesn't the PS3 already do this? It does everything right?

OT: Very interesting, I like the patient display changing idea. So a doctor gets recognized and the screen shows technical items about the patient, but if a relative is in the room it displays info in laymans terms. Lots of uses for this, so cool.



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Sorry, but there's already a leader inside hospitals, and its name is Wii.

But, to be honest, I think it's hard for Natal to get the attention in the "healthcare" market, with games as Wii Fit and Wii Sports helping the sick people. It's not impossible, just unlikely to happen.



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Lol at 'leader inside hospitals' but they only use Wii and uncertified ones



                                  

                                       That's Gordon Freeman in "Real-Life"
 

 

Wow, this is some pretty amazing news!



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