Objective: Digital cadaver preservation (DCP) creates high-resolution 3D models from cadaveric dissections that benefit anatomical research, education, and equity. However, industrial surface scanners are prohibitively expensive for most anatomy programs. Surface-scanning technology has been available on the iPhone since 2020, but its geometric accuracy for scanning gross anatomy has not been evaluated. We evaluated LiDAR-based smartphone scanning technology as a cost-effective solution and assessed its geometric accuracy through surface deviation analysis.
Methods: A total of 19 specimens from the Colorado University Plastinated Organ Library were surface-scanned in two modalities: 1) an industry-leading structured-light surface scanner, the Artec Space Spider (SS); and 2) RealityScan (RS), a mobile app available on the iPhone 13 Pro. We validated RS as an alternative to SS by using surface deviation analysis to compare models generated by each modality.
Results: Slight deviations were found between the models generated by RS and SS (mean signed distance: -0.0890mm, mean absolute deviation: 0.7495mm). Overall, RS produced models marginally smaller than those from SS. Further analysis identified three sources of deviation: 1) a positive deviation created by thin edges, 2) a negative deviation created by deep cavities, and 3) a shifting of anatomical landmarks due to plastinate deformation between sessions.
Conclusion: The surface deviation between modalities is insignificant in the context of gross anatomy. This finding indicates that smartphones have sufficient resolution for DCP. The widespread availability and relatively low cost of smartphones hold great promise in advancing the democratization of DCP and extending the educational value of body donation.
Keywords: Access and equity; LiDAR 3D scanning; digital cadaver preservation (DCP); gross anatomy education; structured-light 3D scanning
Ethical statement: All cadaveric material used in the study was derived from individuals who freely donated their bodies to the State Anatomical Board of Colorado for the purposes of education and research following all policies and guidelines of that organization.
Funding statement: This research was supported in-part by grant funding from Epic Games, The MaggieGeorge foundation, and The Rymer Foundation. As well as from hardware donations from Touch of Life Technologies, The Whitlock Foundation, and Lenovo.