Last month, at age 90, Stan Porter of Launceston played his first video game.
And, if he keeps playing, it might just save him from a bad fall and losing the independence of living in the home that he built 65 years ago.
The former Tasmanian Government Railways Fire and Safety Superintendent recently trialled new tele-health technology that is under investigation by UTAS School of Human Life Sciences Associate Professor Stuart Smith.
The Jintronix Rehabilitation System, based on the Microsoft Kinect for Windows gaming device, was developed to aid the rehabilitation of stroke victims, improve the balance of the elderly and offer off-site physiotherapy for anyone recovering from an injury.
Assoc Prof Smith, who recently moved to Tasmania from Sydney to take up the position of director of the newly established Centre for Research and Education in Active Living at the UTAS Newnham campus, has worked with developers to adapt it to read the physical movements of patients, for example stroke victims, and to engage them in a series of beneficial rehabilitation exercises.
These are simple tasks such as maneuvering a ball or popping balloons, but each movement is encouraged, recorded and the level of difficulty adjusted to suit.
The videogame-based systems Assoc Prof Smith works with have the ability to store and process markers of physical, cognitive and social health and provide professionals with information on a patient's progress over time.
The technology could potentially save time for doctors, allow regional patients to undertake rehabilitation and training in their own home, provide real-team monitoring by health professionals using the National Broadband Network and prevent health issues that add to the burgeoning health budget.
Assoc Prof Smith sees clear potential for UTAS to take an international lead in the development of interactive digital technologies.
"We have pockets of expertise around the University, from health science through to social sciences, design and architecture education and information and computer systems that can contribute to this also," he said.
"In particular, we will work closely with staff in the HITLab to try and develop innovative, interactive technologies for application to health that will be world-leading – it is a very exciting time to be here at UTAS."
Although Mr Porter enjoys good health and mobility for his age, he was also quick to see the value in using technology to provide better health outcomes for its users.
"Balance is so important and as we age our reaction time slows – this program would train the body to keep up with the mind," he said.
"I think it would be a great way to get a person's mind off any pain they are experiencing, too – it really gets you in because it's fun and challenging."
Assoc Prof Smith said that Mr Porter was right – his software uses the gaming technology to engage the brain and work the area of the brain that controls the muscles.
"Exercises using video games are an innovative and novel way to get people to do exercises in their own home that might reduce their fall risk and at the same time a fall prevention expert could be working in real time with a whole range of older adults living in regional Australia."
As for Stan's future as a gamer – he's keen to give it another go.
"At the very least it's bound to impress the great grandchildren," he laughed.