The CAD-Compatible VHP-Male Computational Phantom

Abstract

Anatomically accurate and numerically efficient computational phantoms of humans are essential to characterizing the response of a body to a variety of electromagnetic, acoustic and other types of external stimuli. In conjunction with advances in numerical simulation techniques and computational hardware, these computational phantoms enable exploration of innovative and exciting applications, from medical diagnostic techniques and therapeutic treatments to new ways of on- and in-body communications. However, in order to provide realistic estimates through simulation, the model must represent the subject as closely as possible, necessitating that all relevant anatomical features are captured. If this is not accomplished, the model will misrepresent the true physical environment, and critical information will not be captured during the simulation. This work presents a model of a male subject based on the Visible Human Project dataset. Each component of the model is constructed of triangular surface elements, making it compatible with CAD packages and facilitating its use in simulations based on major numerical methodologies. A description of the model, the procedure used for its construction and a baseline simulation are presented together with future integration and augmentation ideas.