1. Augmented Reality on Mobile Devices: Advancing Globally Accessible Anatomical Education
In June 2012, as part of the Clinical Anatomy Research Scholars Program of Stanford University, I began conducting research into the development of an augmented reality platform for anatomical education. I was invited to continue collaborating with the Division of Clinical Anatomy throughout the school year. My research was accepted for presentation at the NextMed / MMVR 2013, an international academic conference in the field of medical virtual reality, where I was selected as a recipient of the Distinguished Research Poster Presenter Award. It was subsequently published in Clinical Anatomy, a journal of the Wiley publishing company. I was also selected as a semifinalist in the Intel Science Talent Search for my work with mobile augmented reality for anatomical instruction.
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Abstract:
Cadaveric dissection is a highly effective anatomical instructional technique in part due to its interactive spatial learning component; however, there are many prohibitive restrictions across the pre-collegiate, undergraduate, and medical school levels that mandate the search for inexpensive and less logistically challenging alternatives. In recent times, technological systems have been developed to address the need for clinically applicable digital teaching resources. The high cost of these systems is a restrictive factor for educational institutions. We describe the implementation of a novel three-dimensional instructional tool using Augmented Reality (AR) on mobile devices, which combines physical environments and human computed tomography (CT) digital anatomical specimens to produce an accessible educational platform. Our approach results in an inexpensive and user-friendly application prototype that can be widely disseminated on mobile devices using the Android and iOS platforms, while addressing the necessity for a spatial learning component in the anatomical curriculum. Combined with annotations, lecture videos, and other supplemental materials that can be embedded in the software, this platform presents an intuitive, portable, and integrated interface for spatial interaction with virtual anatomical specimens. Furthermore, the segmentation methodology implemented to optimize 3D human CT data for mobile viewing presents a potentially limitless source of digital content. These may include numerous model sets depicting abnormal conditions and pathologies that cannot typically be taught using traditional dissection methods. Since patient data models could be used with this system, there is a potential for future expansion into clinical contexts for patient-specific anatomical visualization. The ability of this inexpensive software application to distribute a versatile library of interactive and accurate models to students worldwide, demonstrates its utility as a novel teaching tool that could greatly benefit anatomical education across the pre-collegiate, undergraduate, and medical school levels.
Awards/Honors Related to this Project
Intel Science Talent Search Semifinalist - Bioengineering
Distinguished Poster Presenter Award - NextMed Medicine Meets Virtual Reality Conference 2013
1st Prize Morgan Lewis Award in Applied Technology - Synopsys Silicon Valley Science and Engineering Fair 2013
Regional Finalist Alternate - Junior Science and Humanities Symposium 2013
National Semifinalist - Top 10 - NPR Science Competition 2012
3rd Place Association for Computing Machinery Award - Synopsys Silicon Valley Science and Engineering Fair 2013
Honorable Mention, Computers/Mathematics Category - Synopsys Silicon Valley Science and Engineering Fair 2013
Clinical Anatomy Research Scholar 2012 - Stanford University School of Medicine
Links and Media:
Stanford University School of Medicine Article
Stanford Whizkids Spolight
El Estoque Feature Article
El Estoque Video Interview
Metaio Augmented Reality Article
NPR Science Competition Press Release
Synopsys Silicon Valley Science and Technology Fair 2013 Awards Link
JSHS Regional Alternate Presenter Notification
Intel Science Talent Search Semifinalist Press Release
El Estoque Intel Science Talent Search Interview
