Experts at Nottingham Trent University have developed a glove for the Nintendo Wii that helps stroke victims try and regain use of their hands.

Strokes are the largest single cause of long-term disability within the world and many sufferers do not fully regain their abilities again. Experts at Nottingham Trent University have been working on a glove for use with the Wii that senses the 3D position of your hand along with grab, release and rolling movements.

The prototype was presented at the Interactive Technologies and Games Conference this week and aims to help stroke patients regain use of their hands. While rehabilitation centres are expensive and sometimes impractical to get to they have noted that this new glove could be an easier and cheaper solution.

Penny Standen, a professor of health psychology and learning disabilities within the university, discussed the glove. "After a stroke, a lot of people have problems with their arms, which can stop them looking after themselves and getting back to work. When people get discharged from hospital, it can be very difficult for them to get access to physiotherapy. We wanted to come up with a low-cost method that people could use quite easily in their own home."

This prototype was not the only one that used the Wii at the recent conference. Barbara Zambrini, from London Metropolitan University, presented her findings at the conference. In her study she used the Nintendo Wii to help train blind cricketers. In our recent exclusive interview with Nintendo's Rob Lowe he spoke about how he has met a woman with Parkinson's disease who used Wii Fit to help regain her balance.

Along with other studies that have used the Nintendo Wii it would seem that the Wii has much more potential than just an entertainment device.