Gaming devices could help detect illness in the elderly

Marjorie Skubic, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Missouri University’s (MU) College of Engineering, is working with doctoral student Erik Stone to use the Microsoft Kinect to monitor behaviour and routine changes in patients at TigerPlace, a residential home for senior citizens. These changes can reportedly indicate increased risk of falls or early symptoms of illnesses.

‘The 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, is collaborating with Mihail Popescu, assistant professor in the College of Engineering and the Department of Health Management and Informatics in the MU School of Medicine, to develop a fall detection system that uses Doppler radar to recognise changes in walking, bending and other movements that may indicate a heightened risk for falls.