Holo-cow! Interactive cows brought into classroom at Newport university
Holographic, interactive cows were brought into the classroom at a Shropshire university as part of a cutting-edge project.
Microsoft HoloLens is the first fully self-contained holographic computer running Windows 10.
Staff at Harper Adams University, in Newport, had their first real look at the Bovine HoloLens visuals when Anthony Chadwick, from software company The Webinar Vet, brought them to the campus.
Alison Pyatt, senior lecturer in animal science, had been in discussions with Mr Chadwick and Microsoft since December to develop imagery to assist with bovine anatomy teaching.
Microsoft supported the Webinar Vets development team as they built the Bovine Hololens content.
She said: “We went down to Microsoft and achieved a lot in just one week.
"I provided images and lecture notes from dissection practical lessons.
"We discussed how it might work best, how it would fit into sessions, and the best way to go through the process, so that the Microsoft team could put it all into context.
“We knew it could be done, but when we put the HoloLens on and really saw it, that was the wow moment, the proof that it worked.
“We chose focus on the udder to start with because it is quite a simple structure.
"We’re still not down to the finer details, but we do have views of the intact cow, its skeleton, blood flow, and then the detail and dissection of the udder.
“There are all sorts of ways we can use it.
"We could use it before a dissection practical to show the students what to expect, instead of a dissection practical, as revision or we could even get students to walk each other through it to learn themselves by teaching.
"There is plenty of scope for this to enhance learning experiences.”
Mr Chadwick added: “This is going to be a really good experience for the students.
"With a real dissection, if you get an udder and cut it up, once you have cut it, there is not going back, no putting it back together.
"With the Microsoft HoloLens you can go back over it, right there in the lesson or even later as revision.”
