I saw this story on MSNBC.com and wanted to share it with all of you. Although this is likely an unintended impact from the Kinect for Xbox 360 sensor it certainly makes sense. In fact imagine the engagement of any child this technology.
With Kinect someone does not have to hold a controller or necessarily understand what to do in order to interact with the on screen images. By standing in front of the sensor and moving around they will see action on the screen and in turn be stimulated by that action/reaction response.
I believe there is a great opportunity for developers to create interactive games for the Kinect Sensor that gives young developing or autistic kids a chance to enjoy a stimulating activity that they may have never been able to do in the past.
You know I read somewhere in the last few days that only a fraction of the capability of the Kinect has been put to use that there are far greater things that can be achieved with this technology. Maybe some of that remaining capability is in the realm of educational and physical development for kids like Kyle in the MSNBC story.
Playing a ball game, Kyle "jumped around and flailed his arms and legs in trying to punch the balls back to the blocks." When the game ended, John got an additional surprise: with just a little initial instruction, Kyle could navigate the game’s menus like it was second nature.
What a great sight for a father to see.
