VR for Health and Wellness

Advantages of Firsthand’s Evidence-based Approach
Firsthand has set the standard for quality of experience, clinical fit, and efficacy. Our products are based on years of scientific and clinical studies of VR for pain relief.

  • Activate patients engaging therapy they want to do
  • High-quality VR experiences completely absorb mind and body for the best outcomes and enjoyment
  • Easy to operate for health staff or patients can run it on their own
  • Provide an opioid alternative bridge away from dependency
  • Generate insights through robust biometric and behavioral data

 Read the evidence showing from multiple clinical studies using Firsthand’s Virtual Worlds.

Take a Pain Holiday

COOL! is ideal for patients feeling the pain and anxiety of medical procedures or the burden of chronic conditions. Easy to use, simple to learn – leave pain behind and embark on a journey playing paintball with lovable otters in jewel-crusted caves and crystalline streams.

Multiple clinical studies have shown Cool! can dramatically reduce pain and stress for chronic pain.

The Evolution of COOL!

The evolution of COOL! began with Firsthand’s long-time collaboration on SnowWorld with Dr. Hunter Hoffman and Dr. Tom Furness at the Human Interface Technology Lab (HITL). Years of iterative studies and successive development of SnowWorld have helped define the power and potential of VR analgesia. The fundamental research includes the fMRI studies of 2004 and 2007 which captured how immersion in SnowWorld dramatically changes brain activity as it reduces pain. Subsequent studies compared variations on the content, such as “temperature” in the hellfire of Dante’s Canyon to the coolness of SnowWorld.

The UW-Firsthand research team continued to test the effects of SnowWorld with pediatric and adult populations undergoing treatment for burns, wounds and many other conditions. As the data mounted and interest grew, Firsthand took the lead in spreading the clinical use of SnowWorld to leading hospitals around the nation to establish best practices for therapeutic use.

COOL! takes the learnings from SnowWorld to a new level of patient experience and therapeutic functionality. Multiple research studies have shown COOL! effectively reduces acute and chronic pain. COOL! is also being successfully applied for mental health with mindfulness training and stress reduction.

COOL! continues to set the standard for VR analgesia.

Read studies at: VR Pain Research Bibliography or visit our Blog.

Biofeedback Builds Mindfulness

GLOW! uses biofeedback to help reduce pain and stress, as patients practice mindfulness and self-control. Enter world of play with magic and light – moving your hands to gather fireflies in the evening moonlight.

GLOW! helps you relax quickly by linking your heart rate to more success – the calmer you are the more you can do. For rehab therapy, GLOW! gets you immediately activated to move fingers, arms, or the whole body.

The Evolution of GLOW!

The evolution of GLOW! began with Firsthand’s collaboration with Dr. Diane Gromala and the development of the Virtual Meditative Walk (VMW). Dr. Gromala developed VMW to activate elderly pain patients to walk more. VMW broke new ground by linking a treadmill to the projected 3D virtual world. The reading of simple biosensors translated the patient’s current level of pain into changes in the weather and sounds in the virtual environment, to help patients become more mindful and develop self-control of their pain.

As the collaborative research and development of VMW continued, Firsthand set off in a new direction that removed the treadmill and focused on hand gestures as a natural and enjoyable way to interact with colorful fireflies. The fireflies breathed warmth and life into the virtual world. Biofeedback became a core to the gameplay, translating rise in heart rate to slowing down your power to attract the fireflies. This closed-loop biofeedback system created a strong mindfulness cue to help patients change their pain response and build resilience. GLOW! was born.

A range of clinicians became interested in using GLOW! with their most difficult patients. GLOW! was proving useful to chronic pain patients break the cycle of addiction, inspire patients into relaxing movement for physical therapy, and helping children with emotion regulation practice self-control skills. Clinical trials and research with GLOW! continues to establish valuable new applications for health and wellness.

Visit our Blog and read published studies at: VR Pain Research Bibliography

Music by Walter Werzowa and HealthTunes

From Our Blog

VR is Taking the Hurt Out of Pain – IEEE Pulse

Easing Pain for Ayer Neuroscience Institute Patients

Wounded Soldier Uses VR To Ease Pain

Reprogramming Your Brain

Focus Forward: In Your Head

Podcast: Pain Management & Medical VR

Webinar: Advancements in Biometrics in VR

Firsthand: Top VR Health Company to Watch

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