Just to confirm what Fishing Cactus started with R.O.G.E.R project using Kinect. Here is an interesting discussion on PublicSector.com.
In discussions with researchers, developers, and customers, they report at least four broad areas of health/medicine within which technologies like Kinect can be applied:
(1) Physical therapy and rehabilitation: As described above, your device can verify who you are, measure what you’re doing, and connect you to your doctor(s) in various ways. There are probably positive effects of this technology on medical conditions that we can’t quite envision yet; One early “success story” in this regard involves Kinect and child autism.
(2) Telemedicine: There are many ways in which medicine can be performed remotely using something like Kinect. Features like the ability to interface with other video chat platforms like Windows Live Messenger allow general hands-free communications while walking around a room – or even the outdoors.
(3) Medical training and education: Everyone knows that doctors go through lots of instruction before they become “doctors.” Technology like Xbox and Kinect can be used not just for remote learning, but also to display virtual human patients that are interacted with through motion-sensing. Virtual teachers can take students through a digital gross anatomy course (no formaldahyde, either).
(4) Neurocogitive and psychological practices: Whether it’s the ability to visualize and analyze brain images taken through Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), or to perform group psychological therapy with some people with the counselor in person and some remote, there are immense possibilities here.
Full article can be found at the following URL: http://sectorpublic.com/2010/11/xbox-kinect-applications-to-health-and-medicine/