It is also in the final stages of a similar review in New York State. V-Frog passed an important milestone when California approved V-Frog for legal and social compliance as per their State board of Education guidelines. This teaching and learning experience can be conveniently repeated as often as desired. Instructors can also model a dissection, observable by the entire class, using a projector. The state-of-the-art product complies with both inquiry and life science standards. "It's a mainstream reality."Īdditionally, the use of V-Frog means students are not constrained to a lab environment. "This is very much a sign of the times," declares Chugh, noting that at least 25 states have laws or ordinances mandating that, if dissection is part of a school's curriculum, students must have an alternative to dissection. The Humane Society of the United States, as well as educators, legislators, students and others, support the realization that the use of virtual-reality frog dissection means no exposure to chemicals and potentially dangerous instruments, no specimen or ecosystem harm and no specimen disintegration. It's truly a physically simulated dissection." Our tissue simulation lets students see the correlation between form and function, and can be manipulated however the student wishes. The technology allows for virtual surgery.
It's actually superior to physical specimens and multi-media representations. "This is a simulation product, not simply a static Web site. "With other products, it's just a video - static and two-dimensional," Chugh explains. In addition, V-Frog allows students to watch a beating heart, observe digestion, dissect, probe and perform endoscopic procedures. Life-like V-Frog, which was in development for three years, uniquely allows for comparative anatomy, letting students make parallels and contrasts between the amphibian's physiology and that of a human being, crab and other organisms. Students would never get the opportunity to see and work with these things this way with a real frog." "Likewise, with our V-Frog, you can explore nerves and blood vessels, and look closely at how the brain is wired. "You can go through the entire alimentary canal, using the endoscopic function - something you could never do with a real frog," says Chugh. Using a simple mouse and PC, students can "pick up" a scalpel, cut open V-Frog's skin, and explore the internal organs - with true real-time interaction and 3-D navigation that actually accommodates discovery and procedures not possible with a physical frog specimen.
The software is designed for grades 7 through 12, plus advanced placement biology students. As a result, every dissection is different, reflecting each student's individual work.
V-Frog, which operates on a personal computer using a standard mouse, actually simulates nearly unlimited manipulation of specimen tissue. '01, president and chief scientist at Tactus Technologies, based in Getzville, a northern suburb of Buffalo. "Other products out there are multi-media, not true virtual reality," explains Kevin P. A provider of virtual reality, visualization and simulation products and services, Tactus Technologies is a spin-off of the University at Buffalo Virtual Reality Laboratory.