Innojin, a eye-care startup in Japan, has teamed up with Sumitomo Corp, and VR developer ImaCreate Co. to create a VR kendama game app for clinical study to treat amblyopia also known as lazy eye in children and hope to get it approved for the public by 2025.
Amblyopia is a disorder that causes blurry vision because of abnormal visual development where one’s eyesight can’t be corrected with the use of eyeglasses. The main method of treating it is to use eye glasses along with an eyepatch to cover the healthy eye for a certain duration every day, making the patient forcefully train the eye’s visual development. However, children are often unwilling to receive this treatment, and because of the decline in adherence to shielding the healthy eye, the efficacy of the treatment is decreasing. So finding a method that kids would adhere to was the main goal.
VR amblyopia Digital therapeutic lets kids receive treatment using stuff they would probably already be doing or are drawn to; such as video games, making the treatment effective and easy for everyone to follow. Head of Innojin, Takenori Inomata states the app / game is less likely to strain kid’s eyes compared with conventional games bc VR technology can distance images from players.
The VR app works by displaying different VR images to the left and right eye respectively, with the aim of achieving the same level of benefits as the eyepatch treatment. You can also train your eye hand coordination by landing various tricks.
Sumitomo Corporation (2022, September 29). Joint Development of a VR Amblyopia Digital therapeutic for Children (Press release)
Bernama (2022, September 30). Japan Startup develops VR game to treat kids’ amblyopia. The Sun Daily https://www.thesundaily.my/world/japan-startup-develops-vr-game-to-treat-kids-amblyopia-YC9895652
Continue Reading...
Next post
Previous post
The IJA Festival, hosted by the 75-year-old International Jugglers’ Association (IJA), is a grand 7-day juggling industry event. The Festival took place in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in mid-July this year. There were eight performers on stage every day, and thousands of people in attendance watching the performances.
22-year-old Hong Kong youth, Pu Ho Lam, participated in the competition with a kendama as his juggling prop; immediately standing out from the competition.
“The audience was very enthusiastic, and when the music played and before the performance officially started, they already gave me cheers. When I completed a beautiful movement, they would applaud and cheer. Everyone was very engaged, especially after the performance, when the audience stood up and clapped, I was so surprised!”
Many of the contestants were talented and some of them have set Guinness World Records. But Pu didn’t let that get to him.
“My attitude was to ‘enjoy the stage,’ if I keep thinking about whether I could win or lose, then I put too much pressure on myself.”
After the performance, Ho Lam left the stage feeling like a winner just from the crowds reactions but then there was another unexpected surprise, the judges announced his score, and he was the 2022 IJA Juggling Championships Champ!
“It was a dream come true. My head was blank, I didn’t know what to think so I just went on to accept everyone’s applause. I was humbled b/c I was already happy just to be there and be able to perform on the international stage level but winning was truly a bonus.
And although Ho Lam did not have his family and friends with him when he won the trophy in America, Niels Duinker, a juggler who holds 8 Guinness World Records, took the initiative to congratulate him on winning the award. This overwhelmed him. He said,
“I watched Niels’s video when I started learning juggling. I wouldn’t be a good juggler without him!”
Ho Lam happily took a photo with Niels and had a brief exchange with him. Niels also gave his autograph on the KendamaUSA Kendama which he used in the competition. This experience became his precious memory of that day.
The short trip to Cedar Rapids was an eye-opener for Ho Lam. He not only witnessed in person the performances of jugglers from all over the world but it also inspired him to continue on his journey. Now he is studying a Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering at the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong and is working in the field.
Want to get into Kendama? Check out our recommended kendamas for beginners:
https://shop.kendamausa.com/collections/best-kendamas-for-beginners
Sources:
Zeng, Jenny. (2022, September 28). Hong Kong Performer Wins World Juggling Championships Despite a Bumpy Road? The Epoch Times.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/hong-kong-youth-wins-world-juggling-championships-despite-a-bumpy-road_4759764.html
Continue Reading...
Next post
Previous post
