title: Web-based three-dimensional Virtual Body Structures: W3D-VBS.
abstract: Major efforts are being made to improve the teaching of human anatomy to foster cognition of visuospatial relationships. The Visible Human Project of the National Library of Medicine makes it possible to create virtual reality-based applications for teaching anatomy. Integration of traditional cadaver and illustration-based methods with Internet-based simulations brings us closer to this goal. Web-based three-dimensional Virtual Body Structures (W3D-VBS) is a next-generation immersive anatomical training system for teaching human anatomy over the Internet. It uses Visible Human data to dynamically explore, select, extract, visualize, manipulate, and stereoscopically palpate realistic virtual body structures with a haptic device. Tracking user's progress through evaluation tools helps customize lesson plans. A self-guided "virtual tour" of the whole body allows investigation of labeled virtual dissections repetitively, at any time and place a user requires it.
authors.affiliation: Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA. Bharti.Temkin@coe.ttu.edu
authors.forename: Bharti
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Temkin
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Acosta
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hatfield
authors.forename: Erhan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Onal
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tong
mesh_terms: D000715:Anatomy / Q000193:education*; D019412:Anatomy, Cross-Sectional; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D020407:Internet; D014584:User-Computer Interface