The researchers have made the software available for free, online, dubbed the Flexible Action and Articulated Skeleton Toolkit (FAAST).
FAAST makes it easier for users to play PC games that would otherwise require a keyboard and mouse, by translating body movements into those inputs.
Says researcher Skip Rizzo (via LAT):
"I think the real compelling aspect of all this is that you can now take off-the-shelf games, content that's already built, and emulate the keyboard actions with body movement. This opens up the doorway for building rehabilitation exercises for people after a stroke or traumatic brain injury. And in an area that's getting a lot of attention, the area of childhood obesity and diabetes.
You got a kid who’s interacting with World of Warcraft for six hours a day, perhaps a parent can step in and say, 'Hey, alright, for one hour of that time, you're going to do it with the Kinect ... and you're got to exercise while you're doing it,'
So, instead of using a thumb controller to move your character, you've got to run in place, you've got to use arm gestures and you actually build into the application for a way for a kid to physically engage with digital content like a game.
You can download the software here: FAAST homepage
Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 29 Dec 2010 22:42
