News

SCM and the Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences (HKMMS) co-hosted a webinar on “Chinese Medicine Through Technology—3D Acu-man” today with the support of the Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC).  The main objective of the webinar was to promote the life-size 3D copper acupuncture human model (3D Acu-man) on show at HKMMS from October 2020 till April 2021.

Dr. Carrison Tong, Physicist from Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, is a key member of the team that designed and built the ITC funded 3D model.  He introduced and demonstrated the functions of the model and shared his thoughts on technology-assisted medical education with participants at the event.  He stated that the 3D Acu-man differed greatly from the traditional acupuncture statues made by copper craftsmen in that it had been produced using modern computerised scanning and 3D printing technologies.  Augmented-reality interactive techniques were then applied to track the acupoints on the model for display of information on related illnesses.  He believed the model would be a useful tool for teaching and learning the application of acupuncture.

The webinar also featured Dr. Edwin Yu, Chairman of the Hong Kong Medical Museum Foundation, and Dr. Linda Zhong, Assistant Professor of CMTR.  Dr. Yu was not only the visionary behind the 3D Acu-man project but also a leading member of the project team, providing expert advice to the technicians and engineers on the mapping of acupoints and meridians on the model.  As one of the minority of medical professionals practising both Chinese and Western medicine in Hong Kong, Dr. Yu took the opportunity to share his insights into the differences between Chinese and Western medicine in their approach to diseases and understanding of the human body, and how integration of the two could be achieved.  The event ended with Dr. Zhong’s presentation on the present and future development of clinical research on acupuncture.