A place where people living with
phantom limb pain don't face it alone.
A peer support group where people share their experiences, and Mirror-VR, a self-care VR app born from participatory research. This is not a medical institution — it's an initiative created from the perspective of people with lived experience.
ScrollPhantom Limb Pain Support Group & VR Trial Sessions
A place where people affected by phantom limb pain share their experiences and support one another.
A feature on the phantom limb pain support group from the TV program “Kigyo Damashii.”
We welcome ongoing support
The phantom limb pain support group is run through ongoing donations. We welcome continuing supporters who can help us keep the weekly sessions going.
Organized mainly by members of NPO Mission ARM Japan, bringing together people living with phantom limb pain.
- Study sessions to learn about phantom limb pain
- Information exchange among peers
- Sharing whole-body care, not just the affected area
- Sharing a phantom limb pain calendar
- Trying VR-based self-care
More than 90 people living with phantom limb pain have taken part in the KIDS-hosted meetups so far. There is also cross-participation with MAJ’s monthly “M Cafe” meetup, whose membership has topped 300 people in total. In-person turnout has grown too, with VR-training evangelists and automotive-industry volunteers now running activities in Osaka and Hiroshima. Some people whose symptoms have eased through VR rehabilitation go on to become “peer therapists” themselves — the first to do so now works alongside Prof. Osumi at Kio University’s Neurorehabilitation Research Center.
If you are living with phantom limb pain and would like to join, please contact us by email below.
kids.mirrorvr@gmail.com
FY2020 support: With support from Rohto Pharmaceutical and contributors to the ReadyFor SDGs crowdfunding campaign, we have been able to reduce the burden on participants while increasing session frequency from biweekly to weekly. We are deeply grateful.
The Team
Kazunori Inomata
Living with phantom limb pain himself, he leads the project from the perspective of participatory research.
Yuji Inoue
Responsible for the technical side, from device selection through to system development.
Prof. Michihiro Osumi
Leads research into the onset and relief of phantom limb pain, from a clinical and data-analysis perspective.
Alongside the core members above, female occupational therapists, peers, and student staff also attend sessions, so that women living with phantom limb pain can take part with peace of mind.
Community Project
The One-Hand(-Interval) Etiquette Book
Built on the idea that “etiquette is a considerate heart toward others, and thinking it through also improves one’s own quality of life,” this project gathers practical tips for everyday one-handed movements into a booklet. Volume 1, “Eating & Manners,” is complete, and Volume 2, “Tools & the Body,” is in progress (illustrations by Rikako Kashima).
“Learning from the benefits of inconvenience” — we’re looking for everyone’s ideas and tips. Let’s build it together.
Contact: katate.osahou@gmail.com
Supporters
Do you know about phantom limb pain?
A phantom limb is the sensation that a limb lost to illness, injury, or nerve damage is still there. How it is experienced — its position, length, and so on — varies from person to person.
When that phantom limb causes intense pain, it can significantly affect daily life (ADL) and quality of life (QOL). Responding to it remains one of the most important and difficult challenges in medical and rehabilitation settings.
The mechanism behind phantom limb pain, and mirror therapy
Phantom limb pain is thought to occur when damaged nerves send abnormal signals to the brain, which the brain then interprets as pain.
Mirror therapy was devised on the idea that updating the information reaching the brain might ease this pain. By reflecting the intact hand in a mirror, the brain is led to perceive that the hand is moving, which can help relieve the pain. That said, how people picture their lost limb varies from person to person, so mirror therapy alone doesn’t work equally well for everyone.
The causes are not yet fully understood, and research into how best to address it is ongoing.
Born from participatory research: a VR app for
phantom limb pain, “Mirror-VR”
Mirror-VR was developed out of a wish to offer a form of care people can continue on their own, even in daily life after leaving hospital. As a new self-care tool for approaching phantom limb pain, it has drawn interest from medical and welfare settings.
The system’s distinguishing feature is the high sense of immersion unique to VR, offering a visual experience different from traditional mirror-based approaches. Inside the virtual space, a virtual hand appears at the position where the user imagines their phantom limb; moving it is used as a way to bring awareness to the movement of the phantom limb. The sense of “moving it by your own will” is intended to provide new stimulation to the brain.
System
HMD + LeapMotion / Kinect V2 + Unity
3D Scan Model
Consideration for those with strong trauma
Memory Experience 1
Tracing
Memory Experience 2
Scooping Balls
Memory Experience 3
Blocks
A Trial Session
With participants and researchers
System
- Head-mounted display (Oculus Rift)
- Motion capture (LeapMotion + Kinect V2)
- Control PC (Unity Game Engine)
- Can be set up in a small space (2m × 3m)
Notes
- This is a self-care tool, not a medical device
- Designed to be accessible to those who find traditional mirror therapy difficult to use
About the Remote Version
Another feature is that, once the VR setup is in place, it can be used anywhere. It supports people in building an environment where they can take a self-directed approach to self-care. In partnership with ISID (Information Services International-Dentsu, Ltd.), a remote version has also been developed, allowing a person with lived experience and a therapist in different locations to share the same virtual space during a session (read the Dentsu-ho article ↗).
Orthoses & Care Products
Beyond VR, through his work with NPO Mission ARM Japan, he is also involved in developing orthoses and care products using 3D digital technology.
Shoulder-Line Forming Pad
for Paralysis & Shoulder Disarticulation
A 3D-printed pad that delivers the “ideal shoulder” shaped by the user’s true feelings, using digital technology. It aims to support a healthy return to social life, both physically and mentally. Developed in partnership with Stratasys.
- Restoring a shoulder line that lets clothes sit naturally (also helps posture)
- A platform prosthetists and orthotists can build themselves
- Lower cost through automated generation
The liners are handmade by Natsuko Kurasawa, former chair of MAJ and herself the first wearer of the shoulder pad, who has refined them for breathability, comfort against the skin, and how easily the area perspires.
Read the Stratasys case study ↗
Supporters
Bespoke Ankle-Foot Orthosis
You’ll Want to Show Off
Using about one second of photogrammetry-based measurement and an automated generation program, this system produces a fully custom ankle-foot orthosis while keeping the burden on patients to a minimum. Even while wearing the orthosis, users can wear the shoes they actually want to wear.
- Giving users real choice, with a stylish design worth showing off
- A low-cost portable scanner developed as a system prosthetists and orthotists can use themselves
- An automated fitting system with freely adjustable stiffness and length
Realized in collaboration with prosthetist/orthotist Tsuyoshi Endo and Osamu Mizuno of Tetraface, Inc., the developer of the 3D modeling software Metasequoia.
Supporters
Profile & Research Activities
At age 17, an accident caused a brachial plexus avulsion injury to his right arm, and he began living with his left hand alone — together with phantom limb pain. After graduating from Tokyo Zokei University, he studied Ocean & Architectural Engineering at Nihon University Graduate School and the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, and completed a master’s in Automotive & Transportation Design at Coventry University (UK). Over more than 25 years, he has worked in digital design and real-time CG across the automotive, architecture, and civil engineering fields, both in Japan and internationally.
Founded KIDS Co., Ltd. in 2015. He currently also teaches part-time at HAL Tokyo (3D Design & Visualization) and Digital Hollywood University (Introduction to CG). Living with phantom limb pain in his own right arm, he works on VR rehabilitation research through “participatory research,” a method in which medical professionals, engineers, and people with lived experience collaborate. Beyond VR, through his work with NPO Mission ARM Japan, he is also involved in developing prosthetic and orthotic devices using 3D printing technology.
See his design work portfolio ↗
Joint Research
This research began as clinical research with Assoc. Prof. Masahiko Sumitani of the University of Tokyo Hospital. Together with Prof. Michihiro Osumi of Kio University and Yuji Inoue, CTO of KIDS Co., Ltd., he now works on clarifying the mechanisms behind the onset and relief of phantom limb pain. In recent years, he has also partnered with Bio Search Co., Ltd., a company specializing in biosensor technology, on research using EEG and ECG data to help make pain more objectively understood.
Selected Publications
- 2019Characteristics of Phantom Limb Pain Alleviated with Virtual Reality Rehabilitation — Pain Medicine 20(5):1038-1046. Osumi M, Inomata K, Inoue Y, Otake Y, Morioka S, Sumitani M. DOI ↗
- 2019Visual feedback in a virtual reality system corrects distortion of the phantom limb — 36th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Cognitive Science Society (JCSS 2019), OS12-4. Osumi M, Sumitani M, Inomata K. PDF ↗
- 2019Expectations for the medical application of virtual reality: a patient’s perspective — Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Virtual Reality in Medicine (sole author).
- 2020Digital mirror therapy for phantom limb pain, created together with people with lived experience — Transactions of the Virtual Reality Society of Japan, Vol. 25, No. 3, pp.181-184. Inomata K, Osumi M, Inoue Y, Sumitani M. DOI ↗
- 2022Phantom limb pain rehabilitation opened up together with people with lived experience — Cognitive Studies, Vol. 29, No. 2, pp.303-311. Osumi M, Inomata K, Inoue Y, Sumitani M. DOI ↗
- 2022Remote digital mirror therapy for phantom limb pain relief — 21st Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Virtual Reality in Medicine, Proceedings 21(suppl-1) p.10 (GS1-1). Osumi M, Inomata K, Okada A, Inoue Y. Conference info ↗
- 2023At-home digital mirror therapy relieves phantom limb pain — 39th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Prosthetics and Orthotics, Poster P2-1-8. Osumi M, Inomata K, Okada A, Inoue Y. Program ↗
Patents
- JP2018-191964 “Neuropathic pain treatment support system and method”
- JP2021-137348 “Phantom limb pain care system, patient device, and program”
Awards
- 2006Interior Motives Awards — Finalist, Best Innovation
- 2006Corus Awards — 2nd Place
- 2007Interior Motives Award — Winner, Best Lifestyle Interior / Winner, Best Personalisation Article ↗
- 2008Michelin Challenge Design — Finalist
- 2021Good Design Award — “Remote Multi-User VR Therapy System for Phantom Limb Pain” Award page ↗
Teaching
- Part-time lecturer, Digital Hollywood University (Introduction to CG) and HAL Tokyo (3D Design & Visualization)
- Part-time lecturer, Shonan Institute of Technology (Product Design) (until 2021)
- 2025.06Speaker at the JDMA symposium “Life Design That Changes Society”
- 2019.10Lecture for medical and rehabilitation professionals (hosted by the Chushikoku Regional Council of Min-Iren)
- 2020.01Lecture on computational thinking and career education for elementary school students and parents (Higashi-Hiroshima Municipal Takayanishi Elementary School)
Social Activities
- Vice Chairman, NPO Mission ARM Japan (since 2016)
- Special Member, Japan Design Management Association (JDMA) (since 2019)
- Chairman, Disability Welfare Division, Tokyo Reikan Lions Club (since 2020). Through the “Understanding Phantom Limb Pain” talk & live events, he has also built connections with people living with other disabilities, including visual impairment
Press & Media Coverage
View on Instagram ↗
Read article ↗
Read case study ↗
Read article ↗
See support group details
Watch video ↗
Project page ↗
Book details ↗
Details ↗
Show info ↗
Press release ↗
Paper ↗
Read article ↗
About Us
KIDS Co., Ltd. is a company built on “participatory research” — grounded in the real experiences and perspectives of people living with phantom limb pain — developing a new kind of VR-based self-training (self-care) approach. Rather than looking only from the caregiver’s side, we work to understand the real feelings and concerns of people with lived experience, and to build the kind of support that is genuinely needed on the ground.
Our representative, Mr. Inomata, lives with phantom limb pain in his own right arm. He founded this project as a way to give back to medicine, after his own life was once saved. Combining the high-precision real-time CG expertise he has built over the years with the latest VR devices, the resulting VR tool has drawn wide attention as a new approach to this poorly understood, hard-to-treat pain.