KANSAS CITY, Mo., Feb. 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Northpass Immersive today launched BELLA VR, an intuitive Virtual Reality platform that helps patients reduce pain and anxiety by escaping with virtual experiences. With breakthrough, high-tech innovations?it is the first and only VR platform in the healthcare space to use gaze-based navigation?BELLA offers unparalleled comfort, visual presentation and ease of use for both patients and healthcare professionals.
Compact and lightweight (the unit weighs in at less than one pound), BELLA is the antidote to the current crop of bulky and uncomfortable VR headsets/ goggles on the market. With no wires and no controller, BELLA, (which consists of three parts, including a Samsung phone), is simple to strap on and easy to use. Patients choose from multiple experiences, including a canoe trip, a breathtaking hot-air balloon ride over New Mexico, a scenic trip up the gondola at Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies and a live quartet concert. Coming soon is Find Fiona: an interactive game where patients search for a bouncing baby elephant who shows up in a variety of fun and playful scenes.
BELLA can be used in English, Spanish and multiple other languages. Subtitles in 15 different languages are currently available.
BELLA VR offers several firsts for VR in a medical setting:
BELLA makes life easier for hospital staff. "It leaves almost zero footprint and can be used in a matter of seconds, without frustration, an important factor in the busy healthcare environment," says Bangert.
Another plus for healthcare providers: with a specialized, non-porous coating, BELLA is easy to clean. "We talked extensively with medical professionals who told us that the padding on the interior of other [VR] platforms is so soft that it is difficult to sanitize. BELLA can be cleaned using only a Sani-Wipe and is quickly ready to use again," says Bangert.
"The integration of interactivity, visibility and seamlessness; that's what we set out to develop?and we did it," says Bangert, adding that the development team sought feedback from local hospital administrators and medical professionals.
Multiple Studies confirm that Virtual Reality can help patients cope with pain and anxiety in a wide range of clinical settings. This includes a University of Washington study that found immersive VR is an effective non-pharmacologic, pain reduction technique in the pediatric burn population and a University of Hartford study that concluded that VR distraction may be a "useful tool for clinicians who work with a variety of pain problems."
Bella VR is a platform that benefits patients from 9 to 90. "We are seeing a lot of interest in Pre-Op, in the ER, and in the oncology unit," adds co-founder and CEO Kurt Bangert. "For us it was all about going beyond the hospital walls. If we could transport a patient to Banff National Park or a beautiful beach in the Caribbean, we could make the entire healthcare experience a more positive and engaging one."
Discover more about Northpass Immersive and BELLA at www.northpassimmersive.com.
About Northpass Immersive:
Northpass Immersive is run by father-and-son team Kurt Bangert (CEO) and Reid Bangert (President). Based out of Kansas City, Mo., the company is dedicated to creating uniquely effective experiences which enable patients to escape the mental confines of their day-to-day environment. BELLA VR's friendly and intuitive design, along with our people-first mentality, make BELLA the smart and efficient solution for healthcare VR.
SOURCE Northpass Immersive
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