What makes this personalised tech possible is artificial intelligence (AI) software provided by Intel. It uses machine learning to recognise a user’s body parts and how their motions or expressions correlate to certain actions during gameplay.
This sort of assistive technology has huge power to transform lives, and with so much of modern life happening around our devices, enabling more people to access them easily has clear benefits.
Dr Lynsay Shepherd, senior lecturer in cybersecurity and human-computer interaction at Abertay University, agrees.
“In the context of gaming, it’s important that computers and consoles are accessible for individuals, something that has become particularly evident in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic,” she says.
“Games can reduce feelings of social isolation and support positive mental health, and people with accessibility issues deserve opportunities to engage in gaming.”
She notes similar efforts led by charities such as SpecialEffect and Able Gamers, who work with developers to create custom controllers, are also helping disabled gamers have better experiences.
But she said accessible technologies had to remain easy to use and affordable if they were to be adopted more widely.
“The games industry can support development of these technologies by creating a pipeline to help gamers with accessibility issues become involved in testing, and by hiring gamers with disabilities as accessibility consultants,” she said.
At the moment the focus is on gaming, but tech such as MotionInput has potential that reaches far beyond just entertainment.
It is believed touchless computing could be beneficial in healthcare, construction and education.
“Given our increasingly digitised society, these [technologies] can support people in maintaining social ties and provide assistance in the work environment,” Dr Shepherd added.
The future aim of UCL’s MotionInput software is to commercialise its non-accessibility applications.
But for now, it’s all about the games.
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