Howard Rose, Co-Founder of Firsthand Technology, did a great TEDMED talk about VR and health. In it, he explains how virtual reality (VR) has been dismissed as a toy, when it is already helping us with self-healing and personal improvement. Whether it’s through helping cope with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or phobias, or encouraging kids to brush their teeth with the appeal of play, VR has its place.
Firsthand’s flagship contribution is a device that distracts burn patients through a visor that has little to no skin contact. While it supports stereoscopic 3D viewing, it’s not quite VR. The idea is that when patients enjoy content with this device, they are more likely to reduce their pain medication needs which should improve their day to day, and cut down on health costs as well.
Congrats Howard on a presentation well done!