AINAR

Are you one of the millions of people suffering from needle fear? Are you nervous, scared, anxious or panicked when you have to undergo a blood draw or injection? Do you get heart palpitations, nauseous, dizzy, sweaty, lightheaded…or do you even faint? Then AINAR is the game for you.

Game features
- AINAR is a puzzle game consisting of short, colourful mini puzzles.
- You can play AINAR before a venipuncture or blood draw. For example in the waiting room of the hospital or blood bank. 
- You complete the puzzles by colouring the shapes using your fingers. 
- But: the colours of the game are a direct representation of your well-being.
- By learning how to control the colours, you learn how to control your own emotional and physical responses! This is called biofeedback.
- Chat with us directly if you have problems or questions.

The magic behind AINAR
- While you play, an artificial intelligence algorithm is measuring early signs of fear or fainting in your face before you are aware of them yourself. 
- The algorithm works through the front facing camera.
- The algorithm translates your level of positive or negative emotions and physical reactions to the colours of the puzzle. 
- The colours of the puzzle represent the level of negative emotional and physical symptoms. 
If you see that the colours are changing, try to change them back!
- The game will let you know immediately if what you are trying works….or not. Keep trying until you find out what works for you!
- Voila! You learn how to control your own negative responses to needles and blood.
- You can go to the nurse for the venipuncture or injection a lot calmer than usual. 

This really does sound like magic, but biofeedback is a scientifically proven method to learn how to control emotional and physical reactions that you are normally not aware of, and that you normally cannot control directly, such as your heart rate. 

What is unique about AINAR?
- AINAR is not a “one size fits some” solution. 
- AINAR will not tell you what to do, but it will help you find a personalised strategy to conquer your needle fear. 
- AINAR is the only evidence-based e-health solution that helps you conquer your needle fear in a way that best suits YOU. 

Who developed AINAR?
AINAR is developed by a team of scientists from the department of Cognitive Science & Artificial Intelligence, Tilburg University, the Netherlands. 

The development is supported by partner Sanquin, national bloodbank organisation of the Netherlands (www.sanquin.nl).  

Furthermore, AINAR and the research study behind AINAR, won several grants from the Dutch Research Council (www.nwo.nl). 

Worried about privacy?
We are not recording your face in any way, nor storing it.

Join the community:
https://www.facebook.com/AINARthegame