New Technology Allows You to Touch Your Baby While Still in the Womb

Would you like to touch your baby before it’s born for just 1 Euro? A Polish company, In Utero 3D, is giving you a chance to. This is a project for blind mothers, to whom the new 3D technology gives the same opportunity to see their unborn child.

IN UTERO 3D is a project of creating a bas-relief of an unborn child masterpiece in 3D technology based on 3D ultrasound examination. As they explained on their website, they just need a file with a 3D ultrasound examination saved in Cartesian Volume Files (*.vol) from General Electric Voluson or DICOM (*.dcm) format from Aloka instruments to make a very similar picture of baby`s face, limbs or any part in 1:1 scale. The best imaging takes place between the 18^th -30th weeks.

To create the image of the “3D printed babies” they have developed their own crucial software to make a conversion of ultrasound examination from GE Voluson and Aloka instruments. It all comes together flawlessly.

They do not manipulate ultrasound images and they do not idealize a baby’s face. They only port it to another data storage device and print it in a non-toxic bioplastic material. The bas-relief is a true three-dimensional representation of baby and environment in the mother’s womb. They maintain all proportions, spatial relations and actual dimensions of the unborn child.

The steps of creation:

Creating this bas-relief is taking 2-3 hours of model preparation and 4-7 hours of  3D printer`s work.

3D ultrasound examination

The doctor conducts the 3D ultrasound examination, then saves it in  Cartesian Volume Files (*.vol) format in case of GE Voluson or DICOM (*.dcm) format in the case of an Aloka instrument. You send them these files to their secure server.

The 3D printout of the fetus

They convert the 3D ultrasound and get a faithful three- dimensional model of the Baby's s face in a 1:1 scale. Then print a bas-relief using ecru non-toxic bio-plastic material (PLA).

SEE ALSO: HOW A GROUP OF SURGEONS USED 3D PRINTING IN BRAIN SURGERY

Waiting without barriers

This is a project for blind mothers, whom the new 3D technology gives the same opportunity to see their unborn child. Waiting for the birth in that case and emotions connected with it becomes quite normal, but now they get the privilege of "seeing" their baby before they are born.

Testimonial

Some parents have already had their unborn baby’s 3D print and one of them is explaining his feelings in these words:

“I am blind daddy of little Johnny, who will be born in the second half of July. I was pleased to listen to the beating of his heart, but so far I could not see him. When I heard that there is a possibility to print results of a 3d ultrasound examination (“to print my son”), this idea fascinated me and we decided to participate in the program. A revelation and amazing feeling. I can touch and palpate every detail of the face of my little Johnny. I feel the nose, mouth, eyes – all the details are very clear. Now I can perceive how our baby looks like in 1:1 scale.”

Source: Inn Poland