The Army absolutely loves video games and the hardware that powers them. They use them as recruiting tools, training simulations, computer processors and now 3D tracking devices. It seems that the military has its eye on the Kinect hardware that Microsoft launched for the Xbox 360 back in 2010.

According to TechNewsDaily, the military wants the Kinect for its use as a head tracking tool. The Army already uses such equipment, but it comes into the form of expensive helmets that pilots wear. If the technology powering Kinect could be implemented into the helmets, it would be a great cost effective maneuver for the Army.

On top of Kinect features possibly coming to the combat helicopters of the future, the Army is also playing around with the idea of implementing “Minority Report” style displays and interactive elements. This would allow pilots to see enemy and friendly units in real time and even report on damage based on where the pilot is looking.

Like always, technology that comes from the military makes its way into the private sector soon enough. The Army talks of a future where regular civilian vehicles like airplanes could be using similar head tracking technology in the next few years.

Even though military technology is still pushing consumer tech, wouldn’t it be wild if video games started to be the dominating force in technology? The Kinect is already starting to get some pretty wild applications of its own that could innovate entire industries.

Do you think video game technology will start to inspire more and more real world applications? Let us know in the comments.