Open source bone biology software benefits industry and academia
Open source image analysis software BoneJ, developed during BBSRC-funded biomechanics research at the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ, is being used in fields as diverse as volcanology, marine biology, soils science, battery design, and food science.
![software image of bone structure](/Media/Default/Structure%20and%20Motion/News/bonej-composite.jpg)
The software has been downloaded more than 28,000 times by users in 56 countries.
The research from which the software arose also led to a collaboration between the researchers and London- based architecture firm Foster + Partners, who are interested in using knowledge about bone structure and its ability to self-repair to develop biologically- inspired building materials.
Scan data from the research has also been used by digital film-makers and animators, including Weta Digital, in the design of CGI characters.
Professor John Hutchinson was the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ's Principal Investigator on the initial work and Dr. Michael Doube was originally the postdoc who came up with the BoneJ tool and then was later hired as a Lecturer at °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ.
Read more on the BBSRC website at