Computational human phantom (nonfiction)

Typical computational human phantoms.

Computational human phantoms are models of the human body used in computerized analysis.

Since the 1960s, the radiological science community has developed and applied these models for ionizing radiation dosimetry studies.

These models have become increasingly accurate with respect to the internal structure of the human body.

As computing evolved, so did the phantoms. Graduating from phantoms based on simple quadratic equations to voxelized phantoms, which were based on actual medical images of the human body, was a major step.

The newest models (updated May 2016) are based on more advanced mathematics, such as Non-uniform rational B-spline (NURBS) and polygon meshes, which allow for 4-D phantoms where simulations can take place not only 3-dimensional space but in time as well.

Phantoms have been developed for a wide variety of humans, from children to adolescents to adults, male and female, as well as pregnant women.

With such a variety of phantoms, many kinds of simulations can be run, from dose received from medical imaging procedures to nuclear medicine.

Over the years, the results of these simulations have created an assortment of standards that have been adopted in the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) recommendations.

Fiction cross-reference

• Computational human phantom - a mysterious crime-fighter

External links:

• Computational human phantom @ wiki.karljones.com
• Computational human phantom @ Wikipedia