We all thought it was over. The nightmares brought upon by 3D printed fetuses had just subsided last month, but Fasotec had to force its way into the news cycle once again with another story of how it 3D prints the fetus of an expecting mother.
CNN recently stopped by Fasotec to talk about their bizarre, but apparently lucrative, business venture of printing fetuses. Last year, they were printing the entire fetus based upon an MRI scan, but they stopped doing it for safety reasons. They now use an ultrasound to scan the face of a baby. They then print it to show the mother what the child looks like while still in the womb.
Fasotec isn’t only in the business of printing fetuses though. They’re now using their scanning technology to print the organs of individuals affected by various maladies, like tumors. With this, doctors can practice on an accurate model of the patient’s affected organ before operating on the real thing.
The medical applications are fascinating, but Fasotec will continue making 3D printed fetus faces. Expecting mothers pay $500 for the memento, and it’s good business. In fact, I’m kind of surprised that a similar operation hasn’t opened in the U.S. yet. It’s probably only a matter of time though.
[h/t: 3ders]