Ultrasound, 3D printing combine to help blind parents feel their babies' faces
Clinicians at Johns Hopkins Hospital have combined the power of ultrasound imaging and three-dimensional printing to afford blind parents a key experience during pregnancy.
Seeing the image of their baby over ultrasound is a profound experience for most parents, and when Taylor Ellis, 26, a blind parent in Maryland, received a 3D-based model of her child’s face in the mail, she was “really emotional,” Ellis told the Washington Post. “I had never seen a 3D [image], and now, it’s your baby, and it’s, like, wow.”
The idea came about after a sonographer at the Baltimore institution questioned if the 3D ultrasound normally reserved for special diagnostic purposes could be used to create a 3D model for a blind mother.
According to the Post, the material costs around $1.40 and each print requires about 3.5 hours.
Read more about the inspiring technology below.
Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.