Australia- and New York-based Smileyscope Holding Inc (Smileyscope) announced the US Patent and Trade Office has awarded a patent for its innovative approach to synchronizing procedures with Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality (VR/AR) stimuli. Smileyscope, a global pioneer in VR/AR digital therapeutics, merges evidence-based medicine with state-of-the-art technology, creating ground-breaking digital treatments that help patients manage pain, anxiety, and mental health.
“Our award-winning VR system is designed for healthcare settings. We developed and patented a powerful approach to changing the brain’s perception of real-world stimuli, ‘re-framing’ what the user experiences in the virtual world.”
Co-founder, Paul Leong MD, MPH, PhD, explains, “Our award-winning VR system is designed for healthcare settings. We developed and patented a powerful approach to changing the brain’s perception of real-world stimuli, ‘re-framing’ what the user experiences in the virtual world.”
This innovation is applied to Smileyscope’s pioneering product for needle procedures. The VR experience, which take the shape of an undersea adventure, is guided by Procedural Choreography. During the procedure, patients experience waves washing over their arm as antiseptic is applied, and fish nibble at the injection site as the needle is inserted. By replacing negative real-world with positive virtual stimuli, Smileyscope achieved 60% reductions in pain and 40% reductions in anxiety in two large pediatric randomized controlled trials.1 Patients report this unique, synchronized approach is far more effective than the solely distractive technologies developed as an offshoot of gaming VR.
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Additionally, Smileyscope’s best-in-class user interface has received patent protection. While gaming-based VR takes multiple steps and significant time to set up, Smileyscope’s technology launches the VR experience for the patient with the click of a single button. In under 10 seconds patients can be immersed in a VR world designed to help them manage their pain and anxiety. Dr. Leong explains, “This means we can start treatment five times faster than other VR headsets.” Additionally, it is the only VR headset designed for healthcare from the ground up reducing infection control concerns.
Smileyscope plans to expand these patented technologies to multiple segments of healthcare and beyond. Many common procedures cause pain and anxiety and are currently treated with drugs ranging from nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), to opioids, to complete sedation. Smileyscope looks to bring this and future technology to bear in these markets and become a standard of care for pain management throughout multiple medical specialties.
- Chan E, et al. Virtual reality for pediatric needle procedural pain: two randomized clinical trials. J Pediatr. 2019;209:160-167.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2019.02.034.