| v> | | | | It will help researchers study the genetics of diseases |
| | | | such as cancer, diabetes, muscular sclerosis and |
| This article about human docs. | | | | Alzheimer's, said officials at the University of Calgary |
| CANADIAN RESEARCHERS have developed the | | | | Faculty of Medicine, which has worked on the system |
| most detailed model of a human yet, a movable 4-D | | | | for six years. |
| image that doctors can use to plan complex surgery | | | | CAVEman is an offshoot of a 3-D virtual reality |
| or show patients what ailments look like inside their | | | | ‘Cave', a $5.5 million lab the Sun Center opened in |
| bodies. | | | | 2002 in conjunction with Sun Microsystems Inc. |
| Called CAVEman, the largerthan-life computer image | | | | CAVEman, seen through 3-D glasses in a booth, |
| encompasses more than 3,000 distinct body parts, all | | | | appears to stand in front of the viewer. As in a video |
| viewed in a booth that gives the image height, width | | | | game, the controller can manipulate it and focus on |
| and depth. | | | | body parts - skin, bones, muscles, organs and veins. |
| CAVEman also plots the passage of time - the fourth | | | | The closer the image gets, the further into the body |
| D. | | | | the viewer appears to travel. It is difficult to resist trying |
| Scientists can layer on the unique visuals of patients, | | | | to touch it. The image can also be loaded on to regular |
| such as magnetic resonance images, CAT scans and | | | | computers, to be viewed off site. |
| X-Rays, giving physicians high-resolution views of the | | | | The medical community will benefit by being able to |
| inner workings of the body while it appears to float | | | | merge patients' diagnostic results in one place, allowing |
| within arm's reach. | | | | specialists to work together more closely. |