Try these Augmented Reality activities at home this summer to keep your children engaged in anatomical science.

What is Augmented Reality?

Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that blends the real world with the digital world. AR utilizes the power of your cell phone’s camera, location, and other sensors to interact with the environment in ways that wouldn’t otherwise be possible. By combining real world information with virtual information, AR can create entirely unique and immersive experiences.

Chances are, you’ve already been using AR. If you’ve played Pokémon Go, or if you’ve used a Snapchat filter, then you’re already acquainted with how augmented reality works. In its most common application, AR is used to overlay or change the image seen by your phone’s camera to create an interplay between what you see on your phone and what exists outside your phone.

AR changes the game when learning biology and anatomy. We’ve collected some examples of ways you can use augmented reality to keep learning all summer long.

Augmented Reality with the Merge Cube

The Merge Cube is a free print out that is used alongside the “Object Viewer App”. This technology allows you to hold digital 3D objects (holograms), enabling an entirely new and powerful way to learn Science and STEM. This is a great tool for students of all ages.

To use this technology, download the FREE app on Apple or Google:

Download the Merge Cube cut out here. Print the paper, cut out the diagram, fold, and glue the white tabs to create a cube. When used alongside the ObjectViewer App, you can hold the transplantable organs and tissues in your hand!

QuiverVision

QuiverVision is similar to the Merge Cube, but students create their own hologram by bringing their coloring pages to life. QuiverVision is an Augmented Reality coloring app that creates engaging, immersive coloring experiences for students of all ages. Coloring pages are available online for printing. You can download the “Quiver – 3D Coloring App” on a mobile device or tablet. The app is free to download with in-app purchases available.

Visible Body

Visible Body is an AR life science suite designed for high school and college students. The technology includes flashcards, 3D labs and dissections, and even tours of cellular and molecular anatomy. It’s available on multiple platforms, so you can access Visible Body activities on your computer, tablet, or phone with ease. Visible Body also includes an entire library of AR-friendly worksheets where human anatomy leaps off the page.

Visible Body has an individual subscription package for $34.99 per year and boasts that they have everything a student needs to access anatomy, physiology, and biology.