meet painwaive, an Interactive game that doubles as pain reliever
Researchers at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, have run their first trial of an interactive game that trains people to change their brain waves and relieve their pain without using any drugs. Named PainWave, the video game aims to alleviate people’s chronic and nerve pain. It’s a neurofeedback system, which means it uses people’s brain’s activity to help them learn to control it. It is basically a game where their brain is the controller and they are the player at the same time. The system has two main parts: a 3D printed headset and the interactive game that acts as a pain reliever, played on a tablet.
The 3D printed headset picks up the user’s electrical signals called brainwaves. The device then sends the brainwave information to the app as the user plays, and the app translates the data into visuals researchers or personnel can see on the tablet. As an example, the water in the under-the-sea interactive game slash drug-free pain reliever can change color when the user starts to feel calm. In this way, researchers can see how people’s brain activity changes as they play. With these changes, the researchers find out that the brain can produce certain patterns that, over time, alter the brain activity and help them feel less pain without using any drugs.
all images courtesy of University of New South Wales | photo by Elva Darnell
3D printed headset uses water-based system for signals
The first small study of PainWaive has shown the researchers – coming from the University of New South Wales, the University of Technology Sydney, Charles Sturt University, the University of South Australia, and the University of Washington – positive results. In their trial, four people used the system, and their pain levels were tracked for four weeks. Three out of the four participants reported a major decrease in their pain, especially towards the end of the treatment. The pain relief they experienced was similar to, or even better than, as the researchers describe, what some people get from strong pain medications like opioids. The research team could also keep an eye on how participants were doing remotely.
By using a 3D printer, the researchers are able to cut the production price of the wearable VR-like headset. They’ve also designed almost everything themselves, including the computer board inside the device. The headset uses a special water-based system to get clearer brain signals, specifically from the sensorimotor cortex. It is the part of the brain that handles movement and touch, and it’s involved in how people experience pain. Because it is 3D printed, the headset is also lightweight, so it’s comfortable for the users to wear them for a long time. So far, the researchers are preparing for a larger study with 224 people who have nerve pain due to spinal cord injuries. Their next goal is to bring the interactive game closer to becoming a widely available option as a drug-free pain reliever.
the 3D printed headset picks up the user’s electrical signals
the interactive game trains people to change their brain waves to relieve their pain without using any drugs
the game has an underwater-based setting
previously, the researchers have already developed another game-based research under Project Avatar
in Project Avatar, a simulated game aims to treat pain from spinal cord injury
video showcasing Project Avatar
next, the researchers plan to conduct a study involving 224 people
project info:
name: PainWaive
institutions: University of New South Wales, University of Technology Sydney, Charles Sturt University, University of South Australia, University of Washington | @unsw, @utsengage, @charlessturtuni, @universitysa, @uofwa
researchers: Negin Hesam-Shariati, Lara Alexander, Fiona Stapleton, Toby Newton-John, Chin-Teng Lin, Pauline Zahara, Kevin Yi Chen, Sebastian Restrepo, Ian W. Skinner, James H. McAuley, G. Lorimer Moseley, Mark P. Jensen, Sylvia M. Gustin
study: here
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