Toys as distractions for burn victims

Children who need burn dressings changed suffer excruciating pain and doctors often use TV, movies or computer games to distract them from the pain. Now an interactive ‘toy' has been shown to be even more effective in reducing the pain reported by children, according to the toy's designer - Sam Bucolo of the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia.

The toy is called Ditto and is a circular touch-screen unit that maximises sensory distraction by using motion sensors and vibration feedback. The child tilts the gadget to navigate through a story or a game as he or she searches for hidden objects along the way. The child can even look underneath things by tipping the Ditto upside-down.