Explorations of the health potential of Microsoft’s Kinect gaming system have so far tended to focus on how it could be used to help rehabilitate patients.

But a new study suggests the Kinect could make a major impact in telemedicine, potentially cutting healthcare costs and reducing patients’ hospital visits – and consequently the associated risk of infection.

The study’s headline claims focus on the cost-saving benefits of the Kinect, which uses sensors to track body movements and register voice commands, but the technology could have wider-reaching benefits over existing telemedicine systems.

Writing in the International Journal of Electronic Finance, University of Arkansas’ Janet Bailey and Microsoft’s Bradley Jensen said gaming technology could be used to « teleport » the knowledge and skills of healthcare workers to where they are needed.

« The Kinect allows doctors to control the system without breaking the sterile field via hand gestures and voice commands with a goal of reducing the direct cost of healthcare associated infections to hospitals and patients, » they wrote.

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