Who needs ultrasonic baby pictures when you can have a resin-cast 3D model of your live fetus? That's the latest development in 3D printing, now available at a health clinic in Tokyo.
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The clinic, Hiro-o Ladies, is working with a 3D printing company called Fasotec to create what they call "Tensi no Katachi," or "Shape of an Angel." The printer renders the model in various shapes and sizes, all of which float in clear lucite.
It's kind of like a snow globe -- of your unborn child.
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The service costs 100,000 yen, or about $1,300. A dual-resin extruder makes the baby part and the hardened amniotic part at the same time.
Clients can choose to have a 3D image captured of the baby's entire body, or just focus on a single body part. So if you're not ready to start the baby buzz around the office with your new full-body fetal paperweight, you can just opt for a foot or an ear. Much more subtle.
Perhaps the most novel part of all? The 3D models are also available as cell phone charms -- so you can get your baby hooked on technology before they even leave the womb.
Would you want to print a copy of your fetus? How much would you pay for such a thing? Let us know in the comments.
This story originally published on Mashable here.
