Design and Evaluation of an Android Augmented Reality Application for Human Rib Anatomy Education

Abstract

Visualization plays a crucial role in anatomy education.  Recently, education in developing countries has remained heavily reliant on two-dimensional media and limited laboratory teaching aids, which are insufficient for depicting complex spatial relationships. The study of human rib anatomy requires more effective visualization to support understanding. Although augmented reality (AR) has been introduced to address these limitations, existing research often focuses primarily on visualization aspects without incorporating comprehensive technical evaluation and quantitative user experience analysis. This study aims to develop a marker-based augmented reality application for interactive visualization of the human rib skeleton on an Android platform and to evaluate its technical performance and user experience. The proposed system integrates three-dimensional modelling developed in Blender with real-time rendering in Unity and marker recognition using the Vuforia SDK. The application enables users to visualize the rib cage structure in three dimensions and interact with the model through rotation, zooming, and anatomical information features. The system was evaluated through marker detection testing, interaction feature testing, and user evaluation involving 30 respondents. Experimental results indicate that the system can reliably detect markers within a distance range of 20–160 cm and a viewing angle between 0° and 45°, while maintaining stable visualization of three-dimensional objects. Usability evaluation results show an average score of 4.69 out of 5, with a user acceptance level of 93.8%, indicating high usability and positive user perception. The proposed AR application provides effective interactive visualization and reliable system performance. It demonstrates strong potential as an innovative learning tool to enhance anatomy education through immersive and accessible digital learning environments.