The Giant Walkthrough Brain Project: Interactive Medical Education for the Individual, Classroom, and Beyond

Abstract

The last few decades of technological advancements provide many physical and virtual techniques of displaying information. Inspired by Joseph Bogen's idea of the Giant Walkthrough Brain, this thesis discusses the creation of three innovative methods that allow us to visualize and explore human brain anatomy. First is the Giant Walkthrough Brain Show: a live virtual tour of a 3D brain museum in collaboration with science speaker Jay Ingram and his band that educates and entertains the audience using stories and music. The second method is a standalone application that recreates elements from the show to provide a similar experience to individuals on their personal computers. Lastly, the Brain Slice Explorer is a blend of physical and virtual worlds: a sliced replica of a human brain can be taken apart and studied, while corresponding QR codes provide access to a web application with further information and details.