Japan Firm Offers 3D Model of Humam Foetus

Expectant parents in Japan who can't wait to show the world what their baby will look like can now buy a three-dimensional model of the foetus to pass around their friends.

The nine-centimetre resin model of the white foetus, encased in a transparent block in the shape of the mother's body, is fashioned by a 3D printer after an MRI scan.

"As it is only once in a lifetime that you are pregnant with that child, we received requests for these kind of models from pregnant women who... do not want to forget the feelings and experience of that time," said Tomohiro Kinoshita of FASOTEC, the company offering the service.

The "Shape of an Angel", which costs 100,000 yen (£1000), comes with a miniature version that could be a nice adornment to a mobile phone, he added. Many young women in Japan have decorations attached to their mobile phone strap.

The company said the ideal time for a scan is around eight or nine months into the pregnancy.

It will use ultrasound images taken at a medical clinic in Tokyo that has forged a tie-up with the company.

FASOTEC, originally a supplier of devices including 3D printers, uses a layering technique to build up three-dimensional structures. The technique has been touted as a solution to localised manufacture on a small scale.

Kinoshita said the company hit upon the idea of making 3D models of unborn babies in the hope that people would become more aware of the technology.

The company said some medics could also foresee diagnostic possibilities with the models that may help predict difficulties in the birthing process.

Three-dimensional printers have been around for several decades but advances in the technology mean it is now gaining in popularity in several fields.