Similar systems are being tested to see if they can reduce bouts of anorexia and bulimia. Other researchers are making progress in alleviating pain during burn recovery and chemotherapy by distracting patients with realistic VR scenarios. In this context, Rizzo's work at the University of Southern California is attracting intense interest. The initial results suggest that it does extremely well. Typically, subjects enter a virtual world by donning a helmet with glasses that are linked to a fast computer.
Advanced versions offer audio and tactile feedback to specialized gloves.
These applications can now be delivered on a personal computer. Two years ago, that was unthinkable. Rizzo, who arrived at USC in 1995, had been working with victims of brain injury. Although he had been hired by the university's Alzheimer's center, he expressed an interest in blending medicine with computer science. While his first project was, in retrospect, something of a digression from his ADHD work, it nonetheless revealed interesting results.