CAVEman 3-D Virtual Patient Is a Holodeck For the Human Body
A 3-D virtual patient that allows doctors to visualize and diagnose ailments in high-definition What happens when you pop a pill? Inside the University of Calgary's $1.5-million virtual-reality room, scientists can don a pair of 3-D goggles and find out in high-definition detail. What: Caveman, a virtual-reality rig that simulates the anatomy and physiology of the human body Where: Alberta, Canada Why: Because the world needs a more affordable, less invasive alternative to body scans Wow: Hit zoom to see a blood cell eight feet wide. Biochemist Christoph Sensen and his colleagues have created a virtual human dubbed the CAVEman (for Automated Virtual Environment) that lets them monitor how a virtual body metabolizes medicine. In this image, three stereoscopic projectors mounted on the floor and one on the ceiling display a computer-animated body. Looking through the goggles, researchers can watch its bloodstream turn from...