This augmented reality app allows you to see inside the human body

Ever wonder what the inside of your body looks like? Ready or not, this new shirt allows you to do just that — to some degree, at least.

Called The Virtuali-Tee, the shirt was designed by London-based virtual reality company, Curiscope. Currently the start-up is seeking $100,000 on Kickstarter to make its project a reality. 

Image source: Curiscope.

So how does this work? The shirt, featuring the appropriate design of a rib cage, has a hidden code on the front that can be picked up by a smartphone app when held up to the shirt. When the phone is in front of the shirt, it reveals the inside of a human body in augmented reality. The shirt stays the same, while you can take a look at the body’s internal organs on your phone’s screen. Moving the device around lets you explore the body, including breathing lungs or a beating heart.

But that’s just the beginning, as the virtual reality aspect is what the team is really after, in order to make this experience truly appealing. By using a headset such as Google Cardboard, you can transport yourself inside various parts of the body, such as the bloodstream, to learn what’s going on, and to check out your bodily surroundings in 360°. Information on how the body works will be supplied by health institutions and professors to ensure accuracy.

To catch a glimpse inside, check out the video below.

According to Curiscope CEO, Ed Barton, the team’s objective is to use technology to get everyone connected with science, while seeing it in an entirely new way.

“The Virtuali-Tee offers a unique opportunity to see the animated anatomy in situ, tracked to a real person,” Barton said in an interview with IFLScience. “This goes a long way to contextualizing the human body and understanding how it works. VR experiences inside let you explore the body in a way that's never been possible before.”

Ultimately the start-up hopes that the shirt inspires children to get involved with science, allowing them to learn in a way not previously possible.

A pledge of $25 on Kickstarter will get you a shirt, and depending on how much money the team raises, they want to use virtual reality to explore other parts of the human body. Currently Curiscope is looking at the possibility of linking the shirt to your heart rate, so that the augmented reality heart beats in real-time. 

Source: Kickstarter