Enlarged skeleton models of plankton for tactile teaching

Abstract

Blind people can learn about real objects through tactile sensations. However, the objects are sometimes rather small to observe by touch. Enlarged three-dimensional (3D) models for such tiny objects are useful for tactile teaching. This paper presents the first exact models of radiolaria and foraminifera. Their 3D shape data are measured using micro X-ray CT, and their exact 3D models are constructed using layered manufacturing. A recognition test showed the immense usefulness of these enlarged models for blind students in learning the shapes of micro-organisms. © 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.