�Cunningly masked as a toy, a new medical device that harnesses the power of distraction canful greatly reduce the pain felt by young george Burns victims.
Designed for medical device company Diversionary Therapy Technologies by Sam Bucolo, who is a Queensland University of Technology industrial design Associate Professor, Ditto is a virtual reality-inspired diversionary therapy aid.
Professor Bucolo aforementioned that the trademarked Ditto device is able to distract a child's attention to help them through the irritating process of having burns dressings changed, which a patient may endure respective times ahead recovery.
Professor Bucolo aforementioned Ditto was undergoing clinical trials to recognise it as a fully-fledged medical device, and it has been shown to be more effective at reducing pain lashings than the traditional methods of distraction used in hospitals, such as videos and reckoner games.
"Burns patients need to receive their bandages changed three times a week for up to two months, and this is a very painful experience," Professor Bucolo aforementioned.
"The children are already anxious when they arrive at the hospital, because they know the operation is leaving to hurt.
"However, we know that pain perceptual experience has a strong psychological component that can be overcome with appropriate preparedness and misdirection."
Professor Bucolo said Ditto was intentional for children aged three to eight years old and used multi-modal interaction a applied science that was closely related to to virtual reality, merely did non require bulky equipment or goggles that might distress young, anxious children.
"It was important that the product took only seconds to enlist the child and it was too important that the distraction lasted 20 minutes, around the distance of time it unremarkably takes a nurse to replace george Burns bandaging," Professor Bucolo said
"The child holds the round Ditto device and tilts it to navigate through the virtual world, rather than using a keyboard or separate game accountant.
"The unharmed form of the plaything is the interface. It has a touch screenland and vibrating handles.
"Children can opt a character who accompanies them through the games, 'find and touch' stories and singalong movies. They can also take a figurine of their character home with them."
Professor Bucolo aforementioned the virtual world could be seen from all angles just by moving the toy.
"They can even look underneath objects by tipping it inverted," he aforementioned.
Ditto won for Diversionary Therapy Technologies the Australian leg of the UK-based business contest Technium Challenge International.
The project originated at the Australasian CRC for Interaction Design, based at QUT, and involved a range of researchers including doctors, designers, children's authors and engineers.
Funding was standard from the Queensland Department of State Development, a Federal Government Commercial Ready grant and private funding.
Ditto is due to be commercially available at the end of this year.
Queensland University of Technology
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