Firsthand has been key to the recent success of projects at the HIT Lab led by my colleague Dr. Hunter Hoffman who is pioneering the use of immersive VR for treatment of pain, phobias and battlefield post-traumatic stress syndrome. This work has received enormous international attention and the use of VR for pain analgesia and other psychology maladies has been dramatically influenced by Firsthand's creative contribution.

Dr. Tom Furness, HIT Lab Founder

Immersive VR for Pain Control


Interviewees: Samuel Brown,U.S. Army and Christopher Maani,
MD US Army Inst.of Surgical Research andHunter Hoffman, University of Washington Produced by Joyce Gramza — Edited by James Eagan
Copyright © ScienCentral, Inc.

Helping Burn Patients Escape Their Pain with VR

Immersive VR distraction is showing great promise for clinical pain control. Firsthand is teaming with leading research psychologists to create a number of custom VR pain control applications for both civilian hospitals and the U.S. military.

Firsthand designed and developed SnowWorld for Dr. David Patterson and Dr. Hunter Hoffman, Harborview Burn Center, Seattle. SnowWorld is an interactive journey through an ice canyon designed to deliver an engaging interactive experience within the constraints of a wound care procedure. The environment is populated with snowball wielding snowmen, flocks of squawking penguins, woolly mammoths and a few other surprises. Patients are drawn into the action in SnowWorld, pelting anything they see with their own snowballs as they fly through the gently falling snow.

“SnowWorld” puts Pixar-like animation to medical use in a virtual video game that relieves the pain of burn victims. Try it. It is completely absorbing to pelt woolly mammoths and penguins with snowballs while your ears are filled with the irresistible strains of “Graceland.” - New York Times


fMRI scans reveal VR's effect in decreasing patients' pain. Image by Todd Richards and Aric Bills, © Hunter Hoffman, UW, used with permission.

Virtual Reality Changes Perception of Pain

Dr. Hunter Hoffman has been using fMRI brain scans to empirically measure the power of VR to control pain. The brain scan to the left indicates a distinct and significant change in brain activity while using VR, reflecting reduced pain perception for the patient. Empricial results such as these are corroborating personal patient accounts supporting the use of VR, thereby strengthening the case for more extensive uses of VR for pain.

Firsthand is working closely with Dr. Hoffman to design effective virtual worlds which maximize pain control. Key elements for the environment include compelling graphics with a high-field of view VR system, and engaging interaction tuned to the limitations of the patients and the clinical environment. Dr. Hoffman's results illustrate how a properly designed and delivered virtual environment can give significant relief for even the most intense pain.

Links to Virtual Reality Pain Control Research and Treatment

University of Washington/ Harborview Medical Center
Dr. David Patterson and Dr. Hunter Hoffman
Leading authorities on the use of virtual reality for pain control. Dr. Hoffman's web site is a great resource of up-to-date reports on current research as well as a rich resource of background information. www.vrpain.com

Human Interface Technology Laboratory, Washington Technology Center
Seattle, Washington
Director Tom Furness
www.hitl.washington.edu

Universitat Jaume
Dr. Azucena Garcia-Palacios
Av. de Vicent Sos Baynat, s/n. 12071 Castelló de la Plana. Spain
http://www.psb.uji.es
http://www.eita.uji.es

Babes-Bolyai University - International Institute for the Advanced Studies of Psychotherapy and Applied Mental Health
Center for Virtual Reality Therapy Director:
"Aaron T. Beck" Professor, Ph.D., Daniel David
No. 37 Republicii St., 400015, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
internationalinstitute@psychology.ro | davidopris@psychology.ro
www.psychotherapy.ro
www.clinicalpsychology.ro

*SnowWorld 3 was created with the generous contributions to Harborview Burn Center (Seattle) by
The Paul Allen Family Foundation
The Scan|Design by Inger & Jens Bruun Foundation
National Institute of Health

Copyright © 2009, Firsthand Technology, Inc.