3D printed baby scans help blind parents feel unborn child
Guide Dogs pilot uses 3D printed scans to let blind parents feel their unborn baby.
The Full Story
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Blind parents are being given the chance to feel their unborn baby through 3D printed models of pregnancy scans, thanks to a new pilot scheme from Guide Dogs UK. The charity has launched the initiative to help visually impaired parents and grandparents experience the 20-week scan in a tactile way.
The models are created from ultrasound scans, using AI and 3D printing technology. One couple, Reece and Sophie, who are expecting their first child, received a model of their son. Reece, who has been blind since his teenage years, said the experience was emotional. "It was just the ultimate moment of, oh, I feel included in this now and I can access something at the same time as you," he told ITV News.
The pilot scheme costs £90,000 and will provide free models to 100 blind parents and grandparents. Guide Dogs hopes the scheme will show the NHS what is possible and lead to wider adoption. Amit, a former A&E doctor who lost his sight 14 years ago, said the NHS should ask people with disabilities what they need. "It's not one size fits all," he said.
For Reece, the model has made the journey to parenthood more exciting. "I can't wait to meet my son," he said. The charity hopes to roll out the scheme to all families affected by sight loss.
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Channel Perspectives
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Focused on the emotional experience of blind parents, including the story of Reece and Sophie, and the broader point that the NHS should adapt to different needs. It highlighted the loneliness of not being able to see the scan and the joy of the tactile model.
- “You can really feel the facial features, like the eyes and the mouth and the nose.”
- “Kind of viscerally it hits you when you feel it. It's really, really, really beautiful.”
- “I can't wait to meet my son. It still feels weird saying it. But yeah, stuff like this just makes you, what makes you even more excited for that moment.”
Focused on the practical details of the pilot scheme, including the cost and the number of beneficiaries, and the charity's hope to roll it out. It also captured the couple's reaction and the tactile experience.
- “Oh my God! Is that the hairs?”
- “It was just the ultimate moment of, oh, I feel included in this now and I can access something at the same time as you.”
- “How can you put a value on that experience and actually inclusivity and accessibility is really core moving forward and if Guide Dogs can pave the way to break that barrier down, that is what we'd hope for any organisation looking at the future.”
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