About little NIRVANA
A magical world to transform pain and fear in children.
We believe in care that works: child-friendly, innovative and trauma-free. Little NIRVANA has been the gamechanger in procedural care for children since 2020. We would love to take you through the origins, history and future of little NIRVANA.
The origin: why little NIRVANA was needed
Every year, millions of children undergo invasive medical procedures. Many of these are needle-related, such as vaccinations and blood draws. The numbers speak for themselves (Birnie et al., 2018):
- • It is estimated that healthy children are vaccinated 20 to 30 times before the age of 18.
- • Hospitalised children experience an average of 6 painful needle procedures per day.
- • Needle procedures and other medical procedures are frequently performed in chronically ill children.
Various studies and research show that there is a strong and clear link between pain & anxiety and needle procedures. 80% of patients undergoing a needle procedure are confronted with pain, stress and/or anxiety during medical interventions.
Without the right support, this can lead to permanent needle phobia or trauma.
Despite needle procedures being used enormously often, there are few technological tools to increase children's comfort during the procedure. In addition, there are even fewer tools for young children between 2 and 6 years old, mainly because VR (Virtual Reality) is not appropriate for this target group.
Little NIRVANA breaks this cycle with augmented reality and game technology, giving children a positive experience. Little NIRVANA uses technology that is suitable for toddlers and young children, making it one of the few tools that can also be used with this age group.
Read more about little NIRVANA
History
of
little NIRVANA
2020
Launch as an EIT Health project and development of the prototype.
2021
Little NIRVANA was used during the COVID vaccination campaign for children. Milo – the virtual buddy – became a hero.
2022
Little NIRVANA prototype 1 was tested in hospitals from Leuven to Tartu.
2023
95%+ satisfaction rate in all clinical trials by all stakeholders. A new horizon was explored: little NIRVANA Dental for dental care was developed.
2024
AR glasses as an alternative to the 2D screen / hologram technology with bird guide Milo were found to be usable in small treatment rooms. A randomised study shows that little NIRVANA significantly reduces anxiety and stress compared to standard care.
2025
The Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) and Europe are funding large-scale studies to test little NIRVANA and make it available to children worldwide.
Future vision of little NIRVANA
Our dream? A world in which every medical procedure feels like an adventure:
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Expansion of the age target group: from 2 to 12 years?
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Expansion to general practitioners, CLBs and oncological settings.
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Multilingual versions for global impact
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New target groups: young people and children with disabilities.
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Development of personalised comfort protocols based on AI.
Meet the visionaries behind the scenes
Be part of our mission
Little NIRVANA is not a tool – it is a revolution in child-centred care.
Stronger together with UZ Leuven and KU Leuven and our core partners.