Avatars at UC Merced: Developing Virtual Health Care
From: Fresno Bee (CA) - 10/25/2011
By: Heather Somerville 

University of California (UC), Merced researchers recently received a $75,000
grant to develop software that uses avatars to provide physical therapy to
the elderly. The researchers are training the avatars to help users perform
physical therapy exercises, making adjustments when the users do not perform
the correct movement. The researchers, led by Merced professor Marcelo
Kallmann, want to develop a virtual way to deliver health care to aging baby
boomers, whose demand for care is greater than the supply of qualified
doctors and physical therapists. The researchers are working to make the
avatars more life-like, and are addressing security concerns about sending
medical information over the Internet. UC Davis professor Jay Han originally
approached Kallmann about developing a way to provide virtual health care for
the state's aging population. Doctors at the UC Davis Medical are working
with the researchers to develop therapy exercises that the avatars can
demonstrate. 

Read the entire article at:
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/10/25/4004529/avatars-at-uc-merced-developing.html

Links:
Marcelo Kallmann
http://graphics.ucmerced.edu/~mkallmann/

UC Merced Computer Graphics Lab
http://graphics.ucmerced.edu/research.html

Jay Han
http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/pmr/ourteam/biodetail.asp?bioid=1254
http://citris-uc.org/people/jay_han

Carlo Camporesi
http://ucmerced.academia.edu/CarloCamporesi