Microsoft is about to make anatomy class much more interesting – with holograms

We continue to study human anatomy the same way it was studied 100 years ago. Students look at medical illustrations and understand the human body in a complete 2-dimensional way and then suddenly have to interact with cadavers. What if those books could turn into an interactive model that could be examined and manipulated? Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio has joined hands with Microsoft HoloLens to make an interactive class where students look at the human body through holographic images. HoloLens is a holographic computer technology that approaches virtual reality in a slightly different way, projecting holographic images into a real-world environments.

According to Mark Griswold, professor of radiology at CWRU, the HoloLens enables the person to see muscles on the top of the skeleton and it can be pulled in and out for examination. With just a tap of the finger, the skeleton can be moved around, making it translucent with different layers of human body. From big organs to tiny complicated structures like the heart, the HoloLens allows the user to move around the structure in any direction and help her understand everything in a detailed way.

Besides medicine, the college officials are also planning to use the HoloLens in anthropology and history classes. “Anytime you try to change the way you see things, it changes the way you understand them”, adds Griswold. This is the first time a university has partnered with Microsoft HoloLens to alter the education system by changing the way things are taught and looking at the possibilities projected in this video.