Firsthand Technology

Firsthand Technology is developing virtual reality therapies as an alternative to anesthetic drugs for the treatment of moderate to severe and chronic pain. Firsthand is collaborating with Dr. Gromala to create virtual worlds that combine the immersive experience of virtual reality with biofeedback and VR technologies. Studies have shown that virtual reality can enhance resilience, providing an effective combination or alternative to anesthetic painkillers. Current pain management primarily relies on anesthetics such as hydromorphone and morphine, which are used to treat moderate to severe and chronic pain. Anesthetic drugs are notorious for their diminishing effectiveness with repeated use, leading to increased dosages and dependency. The misuse of painkillers has become a global epidemic, and in many cases, the treatment is more severe than the symptoms themselves. Hoffman et al. (2007) compared the virtual reality game "SnowWorld" to opioid analgesics. In this study, each participant (n=9) experienced thermal pain under four conditions: no treatment control, opioids only, VR only, and opioids combined with VR. The results were astonishing. VR significantly reduced pain, marking an important milestone in demonstrating the potential of virtual reality technology to surpass pharmaceuticals.