Local virtual and augmented reality medical tech developer Luxsonic is a finalist in a national competition for their new technology.
A Saskatoon start-up tech company is a finalist in a national innovation competition for its use of virtual reality technology to assist those with dementia.
Saskatoon-based company Luxsonic — a firm that specializes in developing virtual and augmented reality systems for medical purposes — is one of five finalists in the AGE-WELL National Impact Challenge: Startup Edition. The regional competition ends in Vancouver on July 16, and a $15,000 prize will be awarded to the winner.
Luxsonic’s technology is called Pain RelieVR — a virtual reality training program to help caregivers understand how to detect pain in adults suffering from dementia. According to Luxsonic in a statement, pain detection in those suffering from severe dementia is an ongoing issue for caregivers.
“There is a misconception amongst family caregivers, as well as health practitioners, that individuals with dementia don’t feel pain, simply because those with dementia … aren’t able to articulate their pain,” Luxsonic chief technology officer Arjun Puri said.
Puri described Pain RelieVR as a “choose-your-own-adventure” clinical simulator and skill assessment for both professionals and family caregivers for those with dementia to work through a variety of pain-diagnosing scenarios. Luxsonic’s product will first be presented pre-installed into a VR headset but Puri said they hope to make it available for all headsets in the future.
Puri said the goals for the Pain RelieVR program are to be both more accessible and more cost-effective. He described his experiences in Ontario with Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE), which are clinical scenarios simulated with people playing the roles of patients, and said running those examinations cost “hundreds of thousands of dollars” while Pain RelieVR will be much more readily affordable and useable.
“The time and cost of doing real-life simulations in person is astronomical,” he said. “With our VR solution we’re able to replicate this over and over again … making this solution accessible to significantly more health practitioners.”
AGE-WELL is a Canadian research network “dedicated to the creation of technologies and services that benefit older adults and caregivers,” according to its website. The organization is funded by federal programs through 2020.
The national competition is intended to get new companies thinking about and developing technologies to assist with the health and support of older Canadians. Finalists had the opportunity to pitch their ideas at regional finals held in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. The final regional competition, held in Toronto, will take place on July 25.
Original story by Matt Olson, The Star Phoenix.