Anatomy Education using Rapid Prototyping

Abstract

Rapid Prototyping is a technique which is rapidly gaining interest amongst the medical community for many different purposes. In this paper we present a novel tool that uses rapidly prototyped models to serve as an interaction device for the teaching of anatomy. The user interacts with volume data of real human organs in an Augmented Reality environment delivered via a Head-Mounted Display. We include a description of how all of the key parts of the system operate and describe their integration. Our hypothesis is that this approach provides an effective and compelling alternative to cadaver based anatomy education.