Prof. Uses Kinect To Aid In $4 Mil. Research Into Mental Disorders.

Goddamn, Kinect is fucking everywhere. I love how it’s been co-opted by countless people with unique ideas that have nothing to do with kicking an invisible volleyball. I change my mind, Kinect doesn’t suck. It’s actually fucking awesome. Latest example? It’s been used to cut down the cost of research into childhood mental disorders.

AP:

Nikolaos Papanikolopoulos admits laughing at the idea of purchasing an Xbox Kinect for his $4 million research experiment.

The University of Minnesota computer science professor has saved more than $100,000 by using the Kinect as an integral part of his research – employing it not as a toy but as a medical tool that could one day streamline the diagnoses of mental disorders in children.

Researchers, in a collaboration between the Institute of Child Development, the University of Minnesota Medical School and the College of Science and Engineering, are exploring the use of technology to diagnose children who show symptoms of an array of mental disorders including obsessive-compulsive disorder and attention deficit disorder.

Developed at the University’s Center for Distributed Robotics, the video monitoring system is comprised of several Kinect cameras stationed around a small room that take footage of a child playing with toys without intrusion.

Fucking absurd. A $4 million research into childhood mental disorders is being aided by a fucking toy for the 360. Not only that, but the savings is insane. Papanikolopoulos considered buying a “$100,000-plus system that would do similar observations of a child”, before realizing he could snag one for $150. Good lord.

Well done, Kinect.