Nested Papercrafts for Anatomical and Biological Edutainment

Abstract

In this paper, we present a new workflow for the computer‐aided generation of physicalizations, addressing Nested configurations in anatomical and biological structures. Physicalizations are an important component of anatomical and biological education and edutainment. However, existing approaches have mainly revolved around creating data sculptures through digital fabrication. Only a few recent works proposed computer‐aided pipelines for generating sculptures, such as papercrafts, with affordable and readily available materials. Papercraft generation remains a Challenging topic by itself. Yet, anatomical and biological applications pose additional Challenges, such as reconstruction complexity and insufficiency to account for multiple, Nested structures—often present in anatomical and biological structures. Our workflow comprises the following steps: (i) define the Nested configuration of the model and detect its levels, (ii) calculate the viewpoint that provides optimal, unobstructed views on inner levels, (iii) perform cuts on the outer levels to reveal the inner ones based on the viewpoint selection, (iv) estimate the stability of the cut papercraft to ensure a reliable outcome, (v) generate textures at each level, as a smart visibility mechanism that provides additional information on the inner structures, and (vi) unfold each textured mesh guaranteeing reconstruction. Our novel approach exploits the interactivity of Nested papercraft models for edutainment purposes.

Investigating the Effect of Operation Mode and Manifestation on Physicalizations of Dynamic Processes

“…Similarly, Raidou et al [RGW20] and Pahr et al [PWR21] present different ways to create anatomical sculptures from transparent materials, which when assembled in 3D support anatomical education. Using foldable papercrafts, Schindler et al [SWR20,SKRW22] describe a workflow for the creation of nested and multilayered paper models for anatomy education. Their findings show the great potential of interactive data physicalizations to encourage exploration.…”

“…Recent work in data physicalization targeted the creation of engaging and low-cost anatomical models for edutainment and patient education-without addressing pathophysiological or any other dynamical aspects [SB17,PWR21,SKRW22]. All prior examples employ indirect interaction that acts similar to interface controls [BZW * 22].…”

Seeing the unseen: Comparison study of representation approaches for biochemical processes in education

“…The second suggestion was 3D printed physical models that could be taken apart (and were considered prior to this study, but due to the inability to test 3D physical models online, this representation was not made). The use of tangible models would also be useful as previous studies into physicalizations of medical data were appropriate for educational visualizations [50,51].…”