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case study 03 / 17

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AR + 3D · IOS · ANDROID

Limbs & Things

AR Anatomy for Medical Trainers

Limbs & Things makes physical simulators used to train clinicians worldwide. Their AR app recognises each trainer's mat and overlays the anatomy underneath – layer by layer, with procedure animations – on iOS and Android, in six languages.

Services
AR Development, App Development
Platforms
iOS, Android (phone and tablet)
Industry
Medical Education & Simulation
See also
AR development · Software testing

Available on

Download Limbs & Things on the App Store Get Limbs & Things on Google Play
Organs, ribs and vessels shown beneath the Abdominal Examination Trainer in AR
Organs, ribs and vessels shown beneath the Abdominal Examination Trainer in AR
2ndround of work commissioned in 2026

Watch

Abdominal Examination Trainer with augmented reality (the AR app from 2:15)

The challenge

A physical trainer shows what the skin looks like, not what sits beneath it. Limbs & Things wanted learners to see the anatomy inside each simulator and watch the procedure it is built to teach, on the phone or tablet they already carry.

The app keeps growing: every new trainer adds models, variations, pathologies, animations and translated labels, while the app still has to stay within store size limits and track reliably on a wide range of devices.

Our approach

Each product is a self-contained module downloaded on demand as an Addressable, so the store build stays small however many trainers are added. One system runs every product: the layer slider from skin to muscle, labels, animations, skin-tone options, image pop-ups and AR image tracking.

We tune AR tracking per product, from screening new mat artwork for trackability before it goes to print to calibrating physical sizes and smoothing on iOS and Android. Every release is screenshot-tested across five device classes and six languages.

The results

In the latest round we added two trainers, the Arterial Puncture Wrist and the Clinical Female Pelvic Trainer, with seven anatomical variations and five visible pathologies between them. They are with Limbs & Things for review and will take the app to nine.

Labels and UI are available in English, French, German, Mandarin, Portuguese and Spanish, with the chosen language retained between sessions.

Technical highlights

  • AR image tracking

    AR Foundation with ARKit and ARCore, anchoring anatomy to each trainer's mat

  • On-demand product modules

    one Addressable per trainer to stay within store size limits

  • Layered anatomy

    a slider from skin through muscle to the structures beneath

  • Procedure animations

    step-by-step animations with full-screen reference images at key moments

  • Six-language localisation

    synced from the client's master document, with UI layout audited per language

  • Automated release QA

    screenshots across five device classes and six languages on every build

The Chest Drain & Needle Decompression Trainer with its anatomy overlaid in AR
The Chest Drain & Needle Decompression Trainer with its anatomy overlaid in AR
A tutor using the app with the Abdominal Examination Trainer in class
A tutor using the app with the Abdominal Examination Trainer in class
The 3D viewer: lumbar spine and pelvis for the Lumbar Puncture & Epidural Trainer
The 3D viewer: lumbar spine and pelvis for the Lumbar Puncture & Epidural Trainer
Students revising with the app, which also works without a trainer
Students revising with the app, which also works without a trainer
Arterial Puncture Wrist anatomy tracked onto its training mat
Arterial Puncture Wrist anatomy tracked onto its training mat

Have a project in mind, or want to explore what’s possible? Talk to us.

get in touchhello@unitydevelopers.co.uk

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