30 INNOVATION & TECH TODAY^ |^ 2020 YEAR-END ISSUE
Health Te c h
Cool Technologies to Teach
Kids About Medicine
By Scott Jung
The COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear;
we need more good doctors, nurses, healthcare
workers, and medical technology innovators. As
kids return to school, whether virtually or in-
person, now is a great opportunity to teach
them about the human body, the diseases that
can affect it, and the medicines and devices to
treat these ailments.
Thanks to tech, learning biology and the life
sciences these days can be a lot more fun than
the plastic skeletons and cutaway heart models
of yesterday. Here are some fun ways to teach
kids about the body using gadgets that you
might already own.
3D Printing
In the Summer 2019 issue, we explained the
potential for 3D printing to radically disrupt the
medical technology industry by enabling rapid
production and modification of all kinds of
medical products. But for the rest of us, the
relatively low cost of 3D printers, the prolific
and active community of 3D printing
enthusiasts, and the wide range of applications
make a 3D printer a great hobby that is also a
fun educational tool.For example, 3D-printed hands from
organizations like e-NABLE. These prosthetic
limbs not only look cool, but they can also
provide real functionality for those who rely on
prosthetics to perform everyday tasks.
As kids print and assemble these articulated
and functional hands, they’ll learn about the
design of their own hand: how hinge joints
connect the fingers to the hand and how pulling
on the strings (the “tendons”) cause them to
move.Older kids can learn valuable design and
engineering skills by becoming part of the“hacker” movement. By using a professional 3D
modeling program such as SolidWorks or free
tools like SketchUp and TinkerCad, students
can create replacement parts to repair mobility
devices like wheelchairs, crutches, and other
mobility aids and even design modifications to
make them more useful for patients. Their
designs can be quickly and inexpensively
printed and perhaps even undergo real-world
testing on a brave and willing patient!Finally, while plastic anatomical models are
nothing new, custom 3D-printed models add a
level of personalized learning by allowing you to
choose what you want to see. Not only can one
print a model of an entire organ, it can print the
anatomical features hidden or typically too
small to see with the unaided eye. One can even
print models of actual body parts that have been
affected by defects or diseases, an oftenpowerful, tangible representation of how frail
our bodies can be.
Virtual and Augmented Reality
Virtual reality has revolutionized
entertainment and learning with immersive and
interactive experiences that make one feel like
they’re actually there. It can take us to just about
anywhere on planet Earth and even to the
depths of outer space. And it can allow us to
explore something just as mysterious and
amazing: our own bodies.3D printing tech is
revolutionizing not only
healthcare and medicine but
how students learn about the
human body.