Visible+Body

Visible Body Submitted by: Tami Siewinski My “I Tried It” site for this week is called the Visible Body and the Home page can be accessed at: []. I cannot say enough good things about this site! It is the dream tool for anybody teaching Human Anatomy & Physiology—in any setting. The Visible Body is an interactive, 3D model of almost every aspect of the human body. It requires Flash Player 9.0 and the Unity Web Player 2.1+, both of which can be downloaded from the site.



The models are extremely detailed and anatomically accurate. The actual programs and models were developed by medical illustrators and specialists in biomedical visualization. The content has been reviewed for accuracy by physicians and anatomists. There is a complete Anatomy and Physiology course designed for undergraduate-level students. I’ve seen several types of 3D Anatomy & Physiology programs/models and nothing is as comprehensive, easy to use and visually accurate as this program. The home site gives you several options. I would recommend starting off by “Taking the Tour” at []. The Tour contains information categories including: How it works: [] Screen shots: [] Movies: [] Demo: [] The Demo site has the best tutorial for the Visible Body. It is an imbedded movie that takes you step-by-step through use of the site and its contents. The 3D aspect of the tool is invaluable! I signed-up for the free, 7-day subscription. It was very easy.



They have several types of content and packages that may be purchased. You can reach these packages by going to the Subscriptions tab:  []. The Subscriptions range in price from **FREE** for undergraduate and graduate-level instructors, $17.50 for 5 months for individuals using it for educational purposes, up to $700/year for K-12 schools to access and use. Another great aspect of this site is the unique “Solutions” tab accessed at: [] This portion contains information categories and services designed for those educators who work in: Pharmaceutical : [] Medical Devices : [] Health Care: [] Publishing: [] iPhone/iPod: [] The FAQ page, which can be accessed at: [] is wonderful too! The best responses are in the General, Uses and Content sections. You do have to install a Unity Web Player in order to see the 3D videos. The program gives you the ability to either select the anatomical area on the actual model and the corresponding term is highlighted, or select the anatomical name and the area on the actual model is highlighted. You can start with one body system, all systems or one part of the anatomy. You can segregate the head, lymph system, circulatory system—pretty much anything you want.

The controls allow you to take the model and turn it in any way to view if from a different angle. It’s absolutely amazing!! This tool could be used as a general study tool or for assessment purposes. You have the ability to make the learning objects or terms solid, transparent or hidden. This would allow educators to easily create assessments or study guides for the learners. Overall, this tool gets the highest rating for educational content that I’ve seen so far.