Yoga for the blind now possible with Microsoft's Kinect

Now, the blind or visually impaired can also take part in yoga classes, thanks to Microsoft's Kinect motion-sensing gaming accessory.

 

Scientists from the University of Washington have written software that uses Kinect to read a user's movements and give spoken feedback to correct the pose.

 

“I see this as a good way of helping people who may not know much about yoga to try something on their own and feel comfortable and confident doing it. We hope this acts as a gateway to encouraging people with visual impairments to try exercise on a broader scale,” said Julie Kientz, a UW assistant professor in Human Centered Design & Engineering and one of the collaborators of the study. 

 

Project leader Kyle Rector, a UW doctoral student in computer science and engineering, voiced hopes the technology will help blind or low-vision people gain "a basic understanding of yoga in a more comfortable setting."

 

Also working on the project was Cynthia Bennett, a research assistant in computer science and engineering.

 

Rector said she used Kinect software because it is open-source and accessible on the market, though it has limitations in how it tracks movement. Under the program, the Kinect uses geometry to read the angles of a user's body and uses verbal messages to have the user make the proper adjustments.

 

Dubbed "Eyes-Free Yoga," the program offers auditory feedback in real time for six yoga poses, including Warrior I and II, Tree and Chair poses. Rector, who herself practiced yoga, worked with yoga instructors to draw up the criteria for reaching the correct alignment in each pose.

 

"She tested and tweaked each aspect by deliberately making mistakes while performing the exercises. The result is a program that she believes is robust and useful for people who are blind," the University of Washington said.

 

“I tested it all on myself so I felt comfortable having someone else try it,” she said.

 

During a testing of the program, many participants said they had never done yoga before, while others had only tried it a few times or took yoga classes regularly.

 

Of the 16 people who tried the program, 13 said they would recommend the program and nearly everyone would use it again, the university said.

 

Rector and the team plan to make the technology available online so users can download the program.

 

Meanwhile, a separate report on tech site CNET said this was not the first time Kinect was used to help the blind.

 

It noted the Kinect has also been used to advance health and health education by letting surgeons view and manipulate medical images via gesture and voice control and helping to teach anatomy. – KDM, GMA News