visible human Archives ⋆ X-Reality: University of Michigan XR

Virtual Cadaver Featured in Proto Magazine

Proto Magazine features articles on biomedicine and health care, targeting physicians, researchers and policy makers.

Proto is a natural science magazine produced by Massachusetts General Hospital in collaboration with Time Inc. Content Solutions. Launched in 2005, the magazine covers topics in the field of biomedicine and health care, targeting physicians, researchers and policy makers. In June, Proto featured an article, “Mortal Remains” that discusses alternatives to using real cadavers in the study of medicine.

Preserving human remains for use as a cadaver during a school semester has tremendous costs associated with it. The article in Proto magazine discusses options for revolutionizing this area of study, from the mention of old techniques like 17th Century anatomically correct wax models or Plastination (the process of removing fluids from the body and instead injecting a polymer) to new technology utilizing the Visible Human data, with a specific mention of the Duderstadt Center’s Virtual Cadaver.

To learn more, the full article from Proto Magazine can be found here.

vis_visible-human_miden_02 — Sean Petty manipulates cross-sections of the Virtual Cadaver from within the 3D Lab’s virtual reality environment, the MIDEN.

Exploring Human Anatomy with the Anatomage Table

The Anatomage table is a technologically advanced anatomy visualization system that allows users to explore the complex anatomy of the human body in digital form, eliminating the need for a human cadaver. The table presents a human figure at 1:1 scale, and utilizes data from the Visible Human effort with the additional capability of loading real patient data (CT, MRI, etc), making it a great resource for research, collaborative discovery, and the studying of surgical procedures. Funding to obtain the table was a collaborative effort between the schools of Dentistry, Movement Science, and Nursing although utilization is expected to expand to include Biology. Currently on display in the Duderstadt Center for exploration, the Anatomage table will be relocating to its more permanent home inside the Taubman Health Library in early July.