�Cunningly disguised as a toy, a new medical device that harnesses the power of distraction commode greatly abridge the hurting felt by young 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 said that the trademarked Ditto device is able to distract a child's attention to help them through the sore process of having robert Burns dressings changed, which a patient may endure several times before recovery.
Professor Bucolo aforesaid Ditto was undergoing clinical trials to recognise it as a fully-fledged medical device, and it has been shown to be more effective at reduction pain oodles than the traditional methods of distraction used in hospitals, such as videos and reckoner games.
"Burns patients need to take their bandages changed trine times a week for up to two months, and this is a very painful experience," Professor Bucolo said.
"The children are already anxious when they arrive at the hospital, because they know the process is loss to injure.
"However, we know that pain perception has a strong psychological component that can be overcome with appropriate training and distraction."
Professor Bucolo said Ditto was designed for children aged ternion to octad years old and secondhand multi-modal fundamental interaction a engineering science that was closely related to practical reality, merely did not require bulky equipment or goggles that might distress young, dying children.
"It was important that the product took only seconds to lock the child and it was too important that the distraction lasted 20 minutes, around the length of time it usually takes a nurse to replace burns bandaging," Professor Bucolo said
"The child holds the orbitual Ditto device and tilts it to navigate through the virtual world, instead than victimisation a keyboard or come apart game accountant.
"The whole form of the toy is the interface. It has a touch screen and vibrating handles.
"Children can choose a theatrical role who accompanies them through and through the games, 'find and touch' stories and singsong movies. They can besides take a figurine of their character home with them."
Professor Bucolo aforesaid the virtual world could be seen from all angles just by moving the toy.
"They potty even look underneath objects by tipping it inverted," he aforementioned.
Ditto south Korean won for Diversionary Therapy Technologies the Australian leg of the UK-based business contender Technium Challenge International.
The project originated at the Australasian CRC for Interaction Design, based at QUT, and mired 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 financial backing.
Ditto is due to be commercially available at the end of this year.
Queensland University of Technology
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Sunday 7 September 2008
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