# Personalized Heart Simulators 'Heartbits' Uses 3D Printing and VR to Show Patient's Heart Defects By Laura McQuarrie | Published 2017-12-04 | Tech Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/heartbits References: [3ders.org](http://www.3ders.org/articles/20171203-heartbits-project-uses-3d-printed-models-vr-to-show-patients-their-heart-defects.html) 'Heartbits' is a project from three Dutch universities that leverages the power of both 3D printing and virtual reality to improve a patient's understanding of their own body. As well as being emotionally challenging, conversations about a patient's conditions can be frustrating for those the average person who lacks the knowledge that a medical professional has about the human body. With Heartbits, a patient is able to have their heart defects visualized through a [Microsoft](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tech-support-services) Hololens headset and 3D-printed models, making it easier for them to understand the location and look the of problems that doctors will be addressing. For the project, students from TU Delft, [Leiden University](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ludii-simulated-play) and the [University of Wageningen](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/superhero-therapy) created a used live heartbeat data to bring VR heart animations to life. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.3/10 - Popularity: 28% | Activity: 32% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Tech](https://www.trendhunter.com/tech) > [Science](https://www.trendhunter.com/science) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Virtual Reality in Healthcare:** Using virtual reality technology, such as Microsoft Hololens, to visualize and understand medical conditions. - **3D Printing in Medicine:** Leveraging 3D printing technology to create accurate and tangible models of patient's body parts for improved understanding and communication. - **Personalized Medical Education:** Empowering patients with personalized visualizations and educational tools to enhance their understanding of their own health conditions. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Healthcare:** There is an opportunity to integrate virtual reality technology into various healthcare applications, from patient education to surgical simulations. - **Medical Device Manufacturing:** The use of 3D printing in creating customized medical models opens up new possibilities in the medical device manufacturing industry. - **Healthtech:** Developing innovative technologies that combine virtual reality, 3D printing, and data analysis to revolutionize personalized healthcare experiences. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Wearable Ultrasound Patches](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/wearable-ultrasound.md) - [Virtual Medical Training Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/elara.md) - [Mechanical Heart Puzzle Sets](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/motorized-beating-heart.md) - [3D Printed Medical Tools](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/vsp-bolus.md) - [Synthetic Fiber Heart Valves](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/wyss-institute.md) - [AI Heart Health Mirrors](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/faceheart-cardiomirror.md) - [Spatial Computing-Powered Training Tools](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/injection-simulator.md) - [VR-Based Pain Solutions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/smileyscope.md) - [Advanced Heart-Tracking Patches](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ultrasound-patch.md)