This animation by Melanie Connolly, 1/2 of the Chicago Medical Graphics, was created for a Texas-based medical device company to visually explain the mechanism behind their recently patented spinal fusion device. Components are built from a Nitinol alloy that bends at body temperature, offering seamless delivery. An internally-loaded balloon system inflates a caged anchor, which then remains within the patient.

Cement flows through the system, followed by the addition of an internal flexible rod. Unlike most spinal fusion hardware, the minimally-invasive mechanism highlighted here depicts a flexible device: this results in a greater range of motion and shortened recovery time for the postoperative patient.

Melanie’s goal was to create custom 3D-generated models, but use light and texture in order to give the final animation the feel of more traditional art, as per the client’s request.

Here’s the preliminary animation showing the early models without the texture and lighting:

 

And here is the final animation:

See more work from Chicago Medical Graphics through their Medical Illustration & Animation portfolio and website.