MERGING PHYSICS AND ANATOMY: INNOVATIONS IN TEACHING HUMAN BODY MECHANICS

This study delves into a novel approach that combines animation with a 3D-printed leg prototype, serving as an innovative tool for teaching mechanics in a multidisciplinary course, Mechanics and the Human Body.This course is created to serve students from physical therapy, exercise science, occupational therapy, and pre-medicine students.While biomechanics textbooks offer theoretical problems, they lack interactive animations.Moreover, physics educators frequently face a deficiency of demonstrations directly related to the human body.Our approach fills these gaps by integrating a physical prototype and dynamic animation to vividly illustrate core concepts such as torque, rotational motion, and static equilibrium, focusing on examining tendon force as a function of external force.The methodology involved 3D-printing a leg prototype and applying external forces to the ankle to simulate leg extension exercises.A string representing the tendon was attached to the leg and routed over the "kneecap" to a fixed Newton meter.This setup allowed for precise measurements of tendon force as external forces varied.The data collected provided students hands-on experience analyzing mechanical forces, further reinforced through an interactive Python animation.The animation allowed the manipulation of variables and visualization of outcomes real-time.Although the prototype restricted the length of the leg and its weight, through the animation, students were encouraged to change those key factors and check how the force on the tendon changes as a function of an external force.To evaluate the benefits of this teaching method, we compared student understanding and engagement with and without the use of the prototype and animation.Assessment results show significant improvement in the student's understanding of mechanical concepts and ability to apply them to human body mechanics.Feedback from students further emphasized the importance of the hands-on approach in making theoretical concepts more relatable to their major.In conclusion, we report our new approach to teaching the Mechanics and Human Body Course.The combined use of animation and 3D-prototype enhanced the learning experience of our students by providing a practical, multidisciplinary perspective on mechanics.The combo deepened the understanding and fostered a greater appreciation for the connection between mechanics and the human body.It holds promise for improving physics and health sciences education, benefiting many students, and reassuring educators of its practicality and effectiveness.