Rapid Prototyping: An Educational Extension of Anatomy Coloring Textbooks

Access to cadaveric specimens, which is dependent on donation and heavy equipment, is still a limiting factor in the study of anatomy. As there are many spatially challenging structures throughout the human body for which physical support is beneficial, new strategies are always needed to implement new interactive teaching techniques to help students more efficiently grasp the complex organization of the human body. In this report, the author reveals the use of rapid prototyping technology to create an innovative and anatomically accurate teaching tool to engage students and help them build three dimensional (3D) mental maps of the human heart. The model consists of polylactic acid (PLA) thermoplastic deposited layer by layer on a platform in a pattern that corresponds to a digital Standard Tessellation Language (.stl) file. Printing a hollow human heart with a 1:1 ratio was rapid (< 5 hrs) and affordable(approximatively US$5 per model). Given access to the appropriate printable digital files, students could print their own model and could subsequently paint them appropriately to give them an anatomically correct representation. This student centered activity is an extension of the current anatomy coloring textbooks, with the benefit of building an accurate 3D representation of the human body.