Development of 3D parametric model of human spine and simulator for biomedical engineering education and scoliosis screening

Engineering education has been changing during the time and starting to cover many interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary fields. We are witnessing the growing importance of biomedical engineering (BME). It leads to increasing needs for development of effective education in BME on the one side, and development of different models and simulation tools for both education and medical purposes on the other hand. BME is a highly interdisciplinary field, influenced by various other engineering and medical fields. This article describes the instrumentation, technique and the results in development of 3D parametric model of human spine and its kinematics using 3D computer aided modeling and simulation. Based on 3D parametric model of spine, software for simulation and visualization of scoliosis (deformation of spine) is also developed. The presented solutions, 3D model and scoliosis simulator could improve education in the field of BME and become useful tool in spinal deformities detection and treatment. (c) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 20: 434444, 2012