It started as a toy that made dancing in your living room just a little bit more acceptable.

Now, one year on from its release, the Xbox Kinect motion capture device is being considered for applications in all sorts of fields, from medicine to mining.

Microsoft calls it the ‘Kinect Effect’ – the way people have found creative ways to use the Kinect for practical purposes.

At the Royal Berkshire Hospital in the UK, for example, it’s used as part of a rehabilitation programme for stroke patients. It’s also used to help autistic children at the Lakeside Center for Autism in the US (pictured).

Now, Microsoft is preparing to launch a commercial Software Development Kit (SDK) that will allow developers to create new applications for the device.

In one pilot programme, the device is used in an operating theatre to allow surgeons to access patient files without having to go through the rigorous disinfectant process.

The SDK is due some time next year. Check out the video below: