Anatomy Learning – mobile app

Together with “Bertram & Vogel” and “Animus Medicus” we designed a learning app for medical students to teach basic anatomical knowledge. The task was to teach the structures of the human skull within an easy-to-use mobile app that should keep the self-motivation high by a playful learning control. Basically, the app consists of two elements: an interactive 3D model of the skull with markings of the anatomical structures and a textual selection of the structures. This allows the learner to capture the position of the structures directly on the 3D model and to place them in a context with a descriptive text. The second part of the app consists of a quiz section, where the learned contents can be tested and the learning progress can be checked via statistical evaluations of the results. In a further development stage of the app, this part is to be networked with other users and thus create long-term motivation to further deepen the knowledge.

The basis for the app was a detailed and exact 3D model of the human skull. The complexity of the model had to be able to be displayed smoothly on a mid-range mobile device. Using a high-resolution 3D model, normal maps were created and then transferred to an optimized skull model.

Since important anatomical structures inside the skull were also a learning topic, both a 3D model of a closed skull and a model of an open skull were created. Inside the app the user can switch between those models. With the model of the open skull, the structures inside the skull could also be shown, such as the exit points of various channels of nerves and vessels that lead through the skull bone.

Screenshot of the learning app with textual selection of anatomical structures

Learning quiz in the app to playfully check the learning progress

Various screenshots of the anatomy app

Screenshot of the skull model in Unity (with non-final shader and lighting).