Using Augmented Reality To Teach Anatomy

ugmented reality can be applied to provide a unique learning experience, assisting students to explore and better understand the human body.

As learning institutes all over the world postpone classroom learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, AR has never been more important to education. It enables students to receive the same quality of lessons they would receive in the classroom or on their placements. Moreover, you can access these essential learning platforms resources anytime and anywhere.

In recent years, AR has become increasingly prominent in applications outside of gaming, for instance, AR is becoming commonly utilised in education.  AR is incredibly immersive and can offer unlimited opportunities to make standard classroom learning more engaging to help enhance the learning experience. It comes as little surprise that educators of all levels and sectors of education are looking into and experimenting with AR learning.

AR teaching technology has proved to be incredibly beneficial for medical students, following the reduction of cadaver-based teaching, educators have struggled to find new methods of teaching anatomy effectively. Various institutions have adopted AR and have begun experimenting with this immersive technology. 

One of the most powerful AR applications in anatomy education is ‘Complete Anatomy’, which delivers virtual models of the human body taken from anatomical papers and classic textbooks. It offers over 200 hours of lectures which follow with quizzes so you can test your knowledge once you explore the virtual body created with AR and select organs and see how they function. For example, you can view the heart in action. You will see how blood circulates with the real-time beating of the heart and discover down to the cellular level, the different types and roles of cells. 

Human Anatomy Atlas is another app which simulates cadaveric dissection to provide students an alternative for cadaver-based learning which can be accessed with a smartphone. Students  can learn the various functions of organs and explore different body systems and dissect virtual cadavers. 

As AR doesn’t have expensive headsets like virtual reality, it can be accessed without breaking the bank, which is why we can see the rapid growth in AR as it takes its place in the field of medicine. AR is an immersive technology that is empowering medical professionals, whether it’s in the operating room or the classroom, giving the user the opportunity to practice and expand their knowledge.