Printing takes a creepy turn: A 3D replica of your fetus

So, you've been trying for quite a while, and the delightful news arrives that soon you will have a small, squishy hybrid of you and your partner for your very own.

In glee, you go for a scan, clutch the ultrasound image to your heart --and probably immediately upload it to Facebook.

But what if you could have a 3D model of your growing bundle of joy?

In Japan, this dream is now a reality due to three dimensional printing technology. Japanese firm Fasotec, in collaboration with Parkside Hiroo Ladies Clinic in Mintao-ku, Tokyo, have come up with a product to fill this niche for, er, consumer demand -- and have called it "Shape of the Angel".

The miniature, 3D replica of your fetus is created through an MRI scan, and then the image is given dimensional shape through 3D software. Once this is complete, clear resin is used for the mother's body, and white resin is used to take on the same of the fetus, constructed through a 3D printer.

As the model is built from an MRI scan, the position, posture and appearance are an exact replica from the time the scan was performed.

Eager parents who would like this three dimensional memento of their child have to travel to the clinic and be prepared to pay 100,000 yen ($1,230 dollars) for each model, measuring 90x60x40mm.

Need somewhere nice to preserve your 3D fetus? Never fear, as it comes in a white jewelry box.

(via IT Lab)

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com