Virtual interactive human anatomy: Dissecting the domain, navigating the politics, creating the impossible

Abstract

Cadaveric dissection has been the gold standard in the teaching of anatomy in medical schools around the world. Cadaveric dissection allows a medical student to understand the spatial relationships of different parts in the body in ways that a typical 2D representation cannot, due to its ability to provide an authentic learning experience which engages all the senses. However, in the modern times that we live in, the availability of suitable cadavers for medical education is low, and there is an urgent need to supplement the practice of cadaveric dissection with more sustainable and economical methods of teaching. Virtual Reality (VR) may serve as a suitable supplement owing to its ability to simulate an immersive 3D environment. However, the authentic learning experience is difficult to recreate in VR, due to the lack of design guidelines. This project is an early exploration into designing active learning interactions for learning anatomy.