Kinect controller is a game changer for Parkinson's

Previous research shows that giving visual clues such as projecting lines ahead on the floor 'unfreezes' the muscles, but current equipment has to be worn. However, Dr Konstantinos Banitsas and PhD candidate Amin Amini Maghsoud Bigy have turned Microsoft’s Kinect computer game controller into a system that can be installed into a patient’s own home.

Linked to a ceiling mounted laser, the Kinect can not only project prompt lines when the software detects a FOG incident but if a patient falls, the system not only detects that but also automatically triggers a video conferencing call.

Dr Banitsas, commented: “All the other systems require a patient to wear sensors and power packs where our solution is unobtrusive and covers a whole room. By mounting the laser guide marker on the ceiling it can provide the visual clues in any direction. And it is only activated when a FOG incident occurs instead of having to be worn constantly. The system has already passed proof of concept stage and we will shortly begin patient trials.”