Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Medicine MEVIS
»BEAUTY OF BLOOD FLOW ANALYSIS« PREDICTIONS ABOUT THE HUMAN BODY
Art Form | Immersive video for 2D, stereoscopic 3D, or 360° hemisphere-dome. Exhibition in coordination with Fraunhofer MEVIS.
Motivation | Artistic, immersive experiences enable emotional, positive engagement with digital medicine and the required STEM sciences. "Beauty of Blood Flow Analysis" is based on new research and technologies in digital medicine and conveys emerging possibilities for gaining knowledge and making predictions about the human body. The project allows the audience to witness the swirling flow of blood in the heart and gives an idea of the steadiness of the heartbeat. Driven by awe and curiosity, this project fuses technological prowess, art, and science. By looking at the flowing blood, various diseases can be detected; for example, turbulent vortices indicate a heart valve malfunction.
Methodology & Implementation | The starting point was exclusively real medical data for the dynamic reconstruction of the blood flow of a healthy human heart, recorded at the MR laboratory of Fraunhofer MEVIS. Specially developed imaging techniques allow the local flow of motion to be depicted in the MR images. The highly detailed 4D flow data were processed with MeVisLab, the in-house rapid prototyping development platform for medical imaging. To capture the complex temporal and spatial distribution of blood flow, special algorithms extracted 4D flow paths along which coloured particle trajectories were visualised. The movements of the particles show the flow during the heartbeat and illustrate the speed and flow direction of the blood.
Scientific background | Modern MR technology enables the acquisition of highly detailed 4D flow data. New flow visualisation imaging techniques are being integrated into diagnostic software so that physicians can see how blood flow changes due to heart disease without the use of a catheter.
The project "Beauty of Blood Flow Analysis" has been the starting point for further explorations together with artists. The goal is to add educational programs to scientifically informed art exhibitions and engage diverse audiences in the wonders of the human body and the constructive possibilities of new technologies. The project was recognized by the scientific documentary industry and won the 2018 Industry Award for Best Immersive Media at the Raw Science Film Festival in CA, USA.
Credits | Directors and Science & Art Producer: Bianka Hofmann, Alexander Köhn, Mathias Neugebauer; Scientific Advisor: Anja Hennemuth; Sound: David Black; Fraunhofer MEVIS (DE)