PreVue is the brainchild of industrial designer Melody Shiue from the University of New South Wales. The idea behind the device is very simple – a unit with a flexible screen is attached to the a pregnant woman. On the other side of the device there will be an imaging unit which will record the position and movement of the baby in real time resulting in a real life image of the baby in the womb.
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PreVue is currently just a concept. It’s unclear how exactly Shiue suggests the device will operate. The most likely way is via some sort of advanced ultrasound. The problem is that current ultrasound technology is a far cry from what can be seen in the images Shiue depicts, especially when it comes to special resolution and details (color also does not exist although it might be possible to add it in software).
Ultrasound technology had advanced considerably in recent years both in terms of size, price, and to some degree, quality. However it will be a few years at least before it will reach the level needed to allow for the creation of the PreVue. As for the flexible display, Shiue’s idea is to use electronic textiles. Other options include a form of bendable electronic paper or bendable OLED display, but we suspect that the display technology will be ready far before the ultrasound unit.
TFOT covered several advances in ultrasound technology including how ultrasound-activated microbubbles fight cancer, a more portable ultrasound device, and an interesting article on ultrasound helmets which control brain activity.
