HAVING dressings changed can be excruciating for burns victims, so doctors often use movies and computer games to distract children from the pain. Now an interactive 鈥渢oy鈥� has proven even more effective at reducing the pain reported when children鈥檚 dressings are changed, says its designer Sam Bucolo at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia.
Called Ditto, the circular touch-screen unit maximises sensory distraction by using motion sensors and vibration feedback. A child tilts the gadget to navigate through a story or game as they search for hidden objects along the way. They can even look underneath things by tipping the Ditto upside-down. 鈥淭hey get really engrossed, rotating the device and zooming in and out,鈥� Bucolo says.
