Google recently made available the Google Body Browser – a human anatomy viewer that allows you to examine the different systems of the human body (muscular, skeletal, cardiovascular, nervous, major organs) in amazing 3D detail. It even supports a search box so you can look up different body parts and zoom in on the detail.
There is only one catch to using Google Body Browser: the web browser you use must support WebGL (a means to support 3D graphics in a web browser without the use of plugins). I use the Google Chrome browser and had to upgrade to the beta version of Chrome that supports WebGL in order to use the Body Browser. (Sorry, don’t ask me for technical support. I can’t help you with your computer!)
Why am I telling you about this new online tool? I have been playing with the Google Body Browser and plan to use it when I need to explain to my clients what is happening to their body. For example, for clients with vertebral fractures resulting from osteoporosis, the Body Browser allows me to zoom in on the vertebral body and show the client what is happening.
Whether you are a health care professional or a client, I encourage you to give the Google Body Browser a try. Google has prepared a YouTube video demonstrating the Body Browser in action:
