Utilising Mobile-Augmented Reality for Learning Human Anatomy

Augmented Reality (AR) is a technology that augments reality with either two or three dimensional computer generated imagery (CGI), objects and/or information, and allows users to interact with them. AR on mobile devices are evolving and offer a great deal of potential in terms of learning and training. This paper discusses the development process of a mobile prototype learning environment that utilises mobile-Augmented Reality (mAR). The prototype is called the Human Anatomy in Mobile Augmented Reality or HuMAR, and the selected learning topic is the anatomy of the human skeletal structure. The main objective of HuMAR is to aid students and it could potentially enhance their learning process. There has been a report stating that there is a decline in retaining and generating long lasting information longer when learning the abovementioned topic. This paper describes the theory, concept, prototype development and results of HuMAR taken from a pilot test. The pilot test used the experimental method with science's students from three different universities. The objectives of the pilot test were to consolidate users’ experience from a didactic and technical point of view. Based on the results of the pilot test, it is concluded that students were satisfied with HuMAR in terms of its usability and features; which in turn could have a positive impact in their learning process.