Patient Care at a Children’s Hospital Incorporates Google Glass

Google Glass is a wearable computer with an optical head-mounted display (OHMD). It was developed by Google with the mission of producing a mass-market ubiquitous computer. Google Glass displays information in a smartphone-like hands-free format.

At the Children’s Hospital patients of all ages were able to experience a virtual visit to the Houston Zoo, which took them up close and personal with many of the resident zoo animals all from their hospital beds. The patients were also able to explore other features of Google Glass, like taking photos and videos of their nurses and family.

While a virtual zoo trip can’t cure these children, getting to spend a little bit of time focusing on something other than getting poked and prodded for the hundredth time can give these kids such an amazing lift in spirits. Being stuck in a hospital bed is miserable even for adults, and for active, curious kids it can be maddening.
Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital is the first children’s hospital in Texas to obtain Google Glass and this is the first project of its kind in the United States. The Memorial Hermann video below shows clips of their patients trying out Google Glass.