Modeling and simulation of an anatomy teaching system

Specimen observation and dissection have been regarded as the best approach to teach anatomy, but due to the severe lack of anatomical specimens in recent years, the quality of anatomy teaching has been seriously affected. In order to disseminate anatomical knowledge effectively under such circumstances, this study discusses three key factors (modeling, perception, and interaction) involved in constructing virtual anatomy teaching systems in detail. To ensure the authenticity, integrity, and accuracy of modeling, detailed three-dimensional (3D) digital anatomical models are constructed using multi-scale data, such as the Chinese Visible Human dataset, clinical imaging data, tissue sections, and other sources. The anatomical knowledge ontology is built according to the needs of the particular teaching purposes. Various kinds of anatomical knowledge and 3D digital anatomical models are organically combined to construct virtual anatomy teaching system by means of virtual reality equipment and technology. The perception of knowledge is realized by the Yi Chuang Digital Human Anatomy Teaching System that we have created. The virtual interaction mode, which is similar to actual anatomical specimen observation and dissection, can enhance the transmissibility of anatomical knowledge. This virtual anatomy teaching system captures the three key factors. It can provide realistic and reusable teaching resources, expand the new medical education model, and effectively improve the quality of anatomy teaching. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s42492-019-0019-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.