HoloAnatomy® Software Suite
The HoloAnatomy® software suite emerged out of a vision by Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) and Cleveland Clinic to establish a new Health Education Campus named the Sheila and Eric Samson Pavilion. As building plans were made, interest in exploring the most advanced learning technology combined with an early introduction to Microsoft HoloLens led to a dramatic change in the CWRU School of Medicine (SOM) anatomy curriculum, from a cadaver-based curriculum to a new digital, “Living Anatomy” curriculum.
With the opening of our new health education campus, medical students entering in Fall 2019 began officially using the HoloAnatomy® Software Suite for a grade. During class, 48 medical students wear the HoloLens headset together with their teacher to explore holographic anatomical structures.
Through the HoloAnatomy® software suite instructors are able to lay out anatomical content in the way they wish to present it. This could be a view of the entire cardiovascular system, the thorax, the heart in isolation, or any combination of anatomy--including side-by-side comparisons of male and female anatomy. Instructors may activate automatic labels or create custom labels and highlight particular objects to call attention to detail. Instructors can also decide whether the body is presented in erect, prone or supine position and whether to display the body at human scale (100%) or large scale (200%), which helps students to observe small structures. Once this 3-D "slideshow" is designed, instructors hit a "publish" button and in seconds students can begin exploring the content together in class.
The HoloAnatomy® software suite includes:
1) Library of Digital 3-D Anatomy Art Assets
The art library provides a holographic representation of the human body at a level appropriate for teaching medical students. Phase I art includes more than 8,000 assets, including one static male and one static female model representing average, healthy middle-age adult anatomy.
2) Designer Tool
Similar in concept to PowerPoint, instructors (or TAs/Curriculum Designers) use the Designer Tool on their PC to arrange the library of anatomical art into individual presentations of course curricula and to easily deploy that content to multiple HoloLens headsets. The Designer Tool allows for selection of automatic labels, custom labels, highlighting features, choices of body position (erect/prone/supine), choice of body size (100% - 200%), and side-by-side comparisons of male and female anatomy. Two-dimensional image files in the form of JPGs (such as photos, medical images, medical illustrations, and lab guide checklists) can be uploaded into the Designer Tool, allowing for robust customization.
3) Viewer App
The Viewer App is a one-time upload to HoloLens that allows for the display of holographic content created in the Designer Tool.
4) Networking Framework
The Networking Framework enables multi-user classroom interactions. For example, a class of 48 students can wear HoloLens to view holograms simultaneously as a large group or across small groups. Individuals can also use HoloLens to study in a self-directed experience.
Publications:
Yong, V., Sridharan, P., Ali, S. A., Tingle, G., Enterline, R., Ulrey, L., ... & Griswold, M. (2018). Cadaver vs. Microsoft HoloLens: A Comparison of Educational Outcomes of a Breast Anatomy Module. The FASEB Journal, 32(1_supplement), 635-6.
Wish‐Baratz, S., Gubatina, A. P., Enterline, R., & Griswold, M. A. (2019). A new supplement to gross anatomy dissection: HoloAnatomy®. Medical education, 53(5), 522-523
Stojanovska, M., Tingle, G., Tan, L., Ulrey, L., Simonson-Shick, S., Mlakar, J., ... & Henninger, E. (2019). Mixed Reality Anatomy Using Microsoft HoloLens and Cadaveric Dissection: A Comparative Effectiveness Study. Medical Science Educator, 1-6.
Email holoanatomy@case.edu to license this product or learn more.