What is the Human Knee Active Learning Kit and how was it made?

The Human Knee Active Learning Kit is a product designed by 3D Anatomy Studios to engage learners in a deeper understanding of knee structure and function through hands-on activities.

Who made this kit?

The Human Knee Active Learning Kit was designed by 3D Anatomy Studios founder Aaron Olsen, PhD, with the first version of the kit being completed in 2026. The kit was designed in the open-source 3D modeling program Blender using public domain data from the NIH Visible Human Project. Every kit is manufactured at the 3D Anatomy Studios workshop in Portland, Oregon, with the first kits being manufactured in 2026.

Where did the anatomical data come from?

The anatomical data used to build the kit were sourced exclusively from the female body donor ("Eve") of the NIH Visible Human Project. These data were first released into the public domain in 1995. Because these data are in the public domain, they can be used for any purpose, including commercial use. Hard tissue data (i.e., bones) were segmented from CT scans and soft tissue data (i.e., muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, etc.) were segmented from cryosection image stacks. All segmentation was performed using the open-source software 3D slicer. Meshes exported from 3D Slicer and their face count was reduced using the open-source software MeshLab, before importing meshes into Blender.

How this kit is licensed

3D Anatomy Studios asserts copyright over the Human Knee Active Learning Kit, covering all aspects of the kit design, including packaging, that represent creative expression, beginning with its initial design in 2025. This grants 3D Anatomy Studios exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, display, or adapt the kit. If you'd like to request permission to reproduce, distribute, display, or adapt the Human Knee Active Learning Kit, please email us at contact@3danatomystudios.com. Requests that are non-commercial may be granted at no cost; commercial requests may require a licensing fee. Please note that while 3D Anatomy Studios asserts copyright over the kit itself, the activity guides for the kit are released with a CC NC-BY-SA license.

How to purchase kits

To purchase Human Knee Active Learning Kits, please send an email to contact@3danatomystudios.com.