ORONO (NEWS CENTER Maine) – Justin Hafner is gearing up for an adventure that has only just started: Kinotech.
"This is something that's never been done before,” Hafner said.
The University of Maine Senior has created a program designed to show how muscles are firing in real time using virtual reality technology.
It uses existing VR devices to identify movement and then shows the user which specific muscles are being used during that movement.
"The frat stars that will go to the gym on a regular basis they love to get big we can help them get bigger basically,” Hafner said. “We can tell them exactly what muscles they are using"
He and his partner have worked together combining his knowledge of kinesiology with technology.
The purpose: to identify the areas of potential and in some cases identify possible injury-prone areas.
"It's doing cool things that matter, Hafner said. "This is something that’s really cool I can make a huge difference in multiple fields."
Their work has even gained the attention of the Department of Defense, according to Hafner.
"It's so cool. I've said the word humbling a lot,” he said.
Hafner said they are waiting for official funding to further develop the program he said would be used to help the Department identify the potential for injury among troops.
He said it could save the government millions of dollars a year.
But even with that much pressure, he is not afraid of failing.
"The things that I've learned I've learned from failure,” Hafner said. “So I've been joking with people I really want to go soon because I want to build this company and I want to be successful."
While that success is still a ways off, he is hopeful it will show other young students at the University that they too can create something big.
“I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the education I received here. I want other students have this opportunity,” Hafner said.
Hafner and his team expect to secure millions in funding in the next few months. If they do, their goal is to eventually put the technology in a smartphone app.