This article was taken from the December 2013 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
Swiss company MindMaze uses gaming technologies to help patients recover from brain injury. The company's first product, MindPlayPRO, launched in September, uses a camera with two stereo and depth sensors to capture movement with precision.
A 3D screen presents a game targeting a specific motor skill, and patients see their actions mapped on to an avatar. MindMaze founder and CEO Tej Tadi gives the example of someone unable to move their right arm after a stroke: an exercise requires them to reach for a virtual object with their functioning left arm, but on-screen they see the avatar's right arm move. "It tricks the brain into believing this right arm is capable of moving," he explains. This "mirroring" technique can stimulate new neural connections. By 2014, Tadi plans to integrate sensors to measure brain and muscle activity, so the underlying brain processes can also be monitored.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
