WHETHER IT’S exploring the great outdoors as a bear or learning to count with Sesame Street characters, Microsoft is using its motion controller to bring TV to life.

The company, which unveiled Kinect for the Xbox 360 just over a year ago, has signed deals with well-known children’s brands that it hopes will revolutionise learning through interactive TV.

Dubbed “playful learning”, the project is a collaboration between Microsoft, research institutions such as the Games for Learning Institute at New York University, and content providers including Sesame Workshop, National Geographic and Disney.

The interactive TV programmes encourage children to learn through play by allowing them to take part in specially filmed Sesame Street and Nat Geo Wild TV shows. Another project with Sesame Workshop, codenamed Project Columbia, will take children inside their favourite story to interact with illustrations and bring the stories to life.

“We know that the most effective learning environments for children are those that are engaging and exciting, and that foster collaboration and a positive attitude toward learning,” said Alex Games, educational design director for Microsoft.

“With the controller-free magic of Kinect, we can encourage kids to use their motor skills and to learn using their body in immersive experiences. This new way to play allows children to learn by interacting.”

Further details have yet to be announced, but it is expected that the programmes will be available in Ireland.

Microsoft is also working with Disney on a game codenamed Rush, which will allow players to scan themselves into the game and solve challenges with characters from animated films such as The Incredibles, Up and Toy Story 3.