Microsoft Envisions The Kinect As A Physical Therapy Tool For The Department of Defense

Microsoft's motion sensing peripheral has yet to set the gaming world on fire. Partly due to the blasé attitude exhibited by traditional gamer makers, which in turn has extended to the mainstream gaming audience.

Outside parties are the only ones doing anything noteworthy, like artists, educators, and hackers who have created solutions for their own needs involving the device.

Which might explain why MS is now attempting to sell the Kinect to the United States Department of Defense, according to Polygon. Phil West, Microsoft’s director of public sector solutions, states:

"Microsoft is committing R&D and marketing resources to ensure that the [Defense Department] community is aware of the capabilities of the product, as well as the breadth of our partner community, which includes the system integrators… The targeted scenarios include therapy-related functions, but they also span training and simulation, interactive user interfaces, and so on."

Microsoft is pairing the Kinect with software that is designed for solider that need physical therapy. It is hoped that the combination will provide treatment that is not nearly as costly as traditional means. It also allows vets to get the help they need at home and saving them a trek to the appropriate facility, which can be difficult for those with physical impediments.

Ways to use the Kinect to also aid with post-traumatic stress disorder is also being explored.