Virtual expedition: 350 year old bird mummy rediscovered!

Virtual expedition: 350 year old bird mummy rediscovered!

Ötztaler Alpen, Österreich - A remarkable project that combines science and virtual reality was presented by the universities in Innsbruck. Under the title "The Bird from the Eis", scientists have analyzed the glacier mummy of a purple rist, which was also preserved over 350 years ago in the Gurgler glacier ice cream, with the help of the latest technologies. The examination includes procedures such as micro-computer tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and histological analyzes. Participants can experience the virtual experience at an excursion at an altitude of 3,000 meters in the Ötztal Alps and have the opportunity to explore the mummy interactively. As the Kleine Zeitung , a 15-minute virtual expedition was also offered during a press conference, the journalists impressed.

The project is processed interdisciplinary and combines knowledge from medicine, archeology and biology. The project manager, Christian Huck, director of the Institute for Analytical Chemistry and Radiochemistry at the University of Innsbruck, emphasized the important role of cooperation in these departments. "The bird from the ice" is not only a scientific discovery, but also a platform for education and communication. Council of Science Cornelia Hagele (ÖVP) emphasized the importance of such innovative projects for science communication and training. Interested parties can register for the VR experience via the website of the Medical University of Innsbruck, which was developed in cooperation with the Tyrolean XR company Mediasquad.

interactive experiences and didactic approaches

The project, which is supported by the state of Tyrol with 60,665 euros, has the goal of improving education. Virtual Reality (VR) and Extended Reality (XR) can help to better understand complex topics, such as anatomy and environmental history, and to be integrated into schools earlier. The participants of the VR experience can even carry out a digital autopsy and understand the individual research steps. An accompanying questionnaire should help to evaluate the didactic effectiveness of the format.

In addition, the potential of VR applications in medicine becomes increasingly clear. Especially in orthopedic-traumatological research, it is expected that these technologies will play an important role in surgical planning and patient education in the future. Johannes Pallua, researcher at the university clinic for orthopedics and traumatology, emphasizes the relevance of XR technologies that can help to better simulate complex interventions and thereby improve the quality of treatment, as well as the University of Innsbruck Notes.

Recently, interest in virtual technologies in medicine has grown, and there are already applications in which doctors use VR glasses in the operating room to project radiological data directly onto the patient. The progress in XR technologies could continue to open new opportunities for diagnosis and preoperative planning. The project continues to be presented publicly, so that interested parties have the chance to get an idea of ​​this innovative connection between science, technology and education. The IDW also offers other backgrounds on this exciting topic.