Using the Kinect for detecting tremors: Challenges and opportunities

The Kinect sensor is an attachment for the Xbox gaming console which allows players to interact with games through body movement. This paper explores the possibility of using the Kinect in a clinical setting for detection of Parkinson´s, postural, flapping, titubation and voice tremors. All of the physical tremors were simulated and the ability of the Kinect to capture them was evaluated. The Kinect was also used to record voice data from real voice tremors patients. Physical and voice data were gathered from healthy persons for comparison. The results showed that the Kinect could reliably detect voice, postural and Parkinson´s tremors. A very consistent graph could be obtained repeatedly for both Parkinson´s and postural tremors. For voice tremors there was also a consistent pattern that differentiated a normal voice from one with a tremor. We have therefore proven that the Kinect can consistently record Parkinson´s, postural and voice tremors.