A game that makes kids want to brush their teeth.

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research branch of the NIH is jumping on the health games bandwagon.  They recently awarded $3.4 million Small Business Initiative Research (SBIR) grant to Firsthand Technology, Inc and the Dental Public Health Sciences at the University of Washington for the project “Improving Oral Health with Serious Games.”  This project involves the research and development of a multiplayer serious game application designed to improve dental care habits in children.

Dental health game details.

• Genera: Multiplayer 3D action game
• Platform: PC
• Target age group: 8 to 12 year olds
• Gameplay: Wii-like physical gameplay meets 3D movies where children face a series of in-game challenges in a microscopic world of bacteria and biofilms.
• Goal: To encourage improvement of real-world oral health habits.
• Release date: Early 2010
• Where you can play: The game will be featured in the Pacific Science Center’s interactive museum exhibit in Seattle.  After its initial opening, it will become part of a traveling exhibit to other science centers.

About Firsthand Technology Inc.

Firsthand Technology, Inc., a Seattle-based company, was formed in 1995 in an effort to put virtual reality technologies in the hands of the public.  They design and develop virtual reality, real-time 3D and serious games for therapy, research, education, and business. Their recent health game projects include PTSD therapy for Iraq War veterans and pain control management for burn patients (both of which are featured in the August 2004 edition of Scientific American) as well as an oral injection training simulator.

For more information about Firsthand or the SBIR grant, see the official Firsthand Technology press release.