Week 4 MedTech + Art

      The most impressive message I got from this week’s lesson is how closely medical technology and art can connect with each other. Previously I rather thought that anatomy is an area relevant only to medical sciences and physicians. I had a hunch that anatomy could also be important to artists who want to draw human bodies accurately but did not know how the connection between art and medical sciences can go any further. However, as professor Vesna has pointed out in her lecture, scanning and taking pictures of human bodies in works such as the Visible Human Project also inspire artists by enabling them to view body structures directly. Artists can then wonder how different muscles cooperate to enable complex movement, how our brains generate thoughts, and many other thought-provoking questions.



A picture from the Visible Human Project

Other projects like Human Genome Project and Human Microbiome Project all provide exciting insight into different aspects of human bodies and inspire artists to reflect on the most amazing artwork of nature, ourselves.

       One work connecting art and medical technologies that I can really relate to is the therapy developed by Diane Gromala for patients with chronic pains. I have watched a Japanese animation, Sword Art Online II, where virtual reality games are used to relieve pains.



Virtual reality machine for relieving pains in Sword Art Online II

Although Diane’s approach is somewhat different, the two examples show the potential for virtual reality devices to evoke specific experiences and feelings in people. It is interesting how Diane employs the conflict between bodily sensations and the freedom of going through one’s body in virtual reality. According to her, this conflict creates a new sensation that can relieve chronic pains. Her idea of incorporating meditation also intrigues me. I have been practicing meditation to relax and focus on the present, but I never thought that virtual reality can be used to cue one’s mental state and guide a meditation. However, I also have doubts because meditation works partly because people can use their imagination to enter a world they feel comfortable with, and virtual reality takes that away. The question of whether virtual reality therapy works and how it might work better will hopefully be answered in the near future.




Diane Gromala’s virtual reality meditation session




A traditional mediation session




Works Cited

Gromala, Diane. “TEDxAmericanRiviera - Diane Gromala - Curative Powers of Wet, Raw Beauty” Youtube, Uploaded by TEDx Talks, 7 Dec. 2011, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRdarMz--Pw&feature=youtu.be.

N.d. CS530 - Fall 2015 Project 2 - Isosurfaces. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <https://www.cs.purdue.edu/homes/cs530/projects/project2.html>.

N.d. Diane Gromala, PhD. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <https://www.sfu.ca/siat/about/siat_spotlight/DianeGromala.html>.

N.d. The Beginner’s Pathway to Successful Meditation [in 5 Conscious Steps]. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <https://www.pocketmindfulness.com/the-beginners-pathway-to-successful-meditation-in-5-steps/>.

Vesna, Victoria. “Medicine pt1” Youtube, Uploaded by uconlineprogram, 21 Apr. 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep0M2bOM9Tk&feature=youtu.be.


Yuuki using the Medicuboid. N.d. Sword Art Online II Episode 22. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <http://swordartonline.wikia.com/wiki/Sword_Art_Online_II_Episode_22>.

Comments

  1. UnknownMay 4, 2017 at 2:52 AM

    It was really hard for me to link the medical technology with the artwork before. However, after reading the post and the lecture, I realized that doing so is both natural and very eye-opening. The anatomy is truly one of the most obvious examples but people generally just take it for granted. Moreover the idea of VR in the post is also another one thanks to the development of technology.

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