Gaming for good health

Researchers at the University of Missouri and TigerPlace have used motion-sensing technology to monitor changes in the health of residents

Researchers at the University of Missouri and TigerPlace, an independent living community, have used motion-sensing technology to monitor changes in the health of residents for several years. The researchers now say two devices, commonly used for video gaming and security systems, help detect the onset of illness in the elderly, according to an institute release.

Marjorie Skubic, professor of electrical and computer engineering in the College of Engineering, University of Missouri, along with doctoral student Erik Stone, is using Microsoft Kinect, a new motion-sensing camera that is used as a video gaming device, to monitor behaviour and routine changes in patients at TigerPlace. These changes help indicate increased risks or early symptoms of illnesses. “Kinect uses infrared light to create a depth image that produces data in the form of a silhouette, instead of a video or photograph,” said Stone. “This alleviates many seniors’ concerns about privacy when traditional web camera-based monitoring systems are used.”

Another doctoral student, Liang Liu, together with Mihail Popescu, assistant professor in the College of Engineering and the department of health management and informatics, University of Missouri School of Medicine, is developing a fall detection system that uses Doppler radar to recognise changes in walking, bending and other movements that may indicate heightened risks of falls.