An Investigation into the performance of Augmented Reality for use in the treatment of Phantom Limb Pain in Amputees Kieran ONeill, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, National University of Ireland, Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland Annraoi dePaor, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, National University of Ireland, Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland Malcolm MacLachlan, Department of Psychology, University of Dublin, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland Gary McDarby, Media Lab Europe, Crane Street, Dublin 8, Ireland. Abstract Phantom limb pain is the distressing problem experienced by many amputees, defined as a painful sensation perceived in the area of the missing body part. Phantom limb pain can be very severe and disabling. It continues to be experienced by two thirds of amputees, eight years post-amputation. Augmented reality has the ability to change a persons sensory experience. More applications of this technology are gradually being utilised for therapeutic purposes as augmented environments can be used both to distract the attention of patients from excruciatingly painful experiences and to promote cortical re-mapping at the site from where the pain arises. Using augmented reality, an environment has been created where upper limb amputees can both view and control motion of their phantom limb to help alleviate phantom limb pain. 1. Introduction The phenomenon of a phantom limb has been recognised for well over a century [1,2], where a patient with this syndrome experiences an amputated extremity as still present. Phantom limb sensation can be described as the feeling of the presence of the amputated limb and is experienced by almost all patients post-amputation [3]. Phantom limb pain occurs when a person feels pain that they attribute to the area of a limb that has been removed. Phantom limb pain can be severe and disabling and continues to be experienced by two thirds of amputees, eight years after the loss of the amputated limb [4]. It has been documented that as many as 70% of phantoms still remain painful 25 years post amputation [5]. Phantom limb pain occurs in variable forms. Some amputees experience continuous pain that varies in intensity, while for others the pain is intermittent and of a high intensity [6]. Phantoms tend to be more vivid, and persist longer, after traumatic limb loss, or following amputation for a pre-existing painful limb pathology, than after a planned surgical amputation of a non-painful limb.