See, Touch Understand
Life-sized, physical models of real hearts with CHD
Portable and Easy to Use
Customise or pick ready-made collections of CHD models
See, Touch, Understand
Life-sized, physical models of real hearts with CHD
Digital Models
Interactive, educational, detailed visuals with annotations
A world first kit of realistic educational 3D models of Congenital Heart Disease (CHD)
[ A World First ]
A complete kit of physical and visual 3D models, helping families and clinicians understand every child's heart.
[ Immediate Understanding, Better Care ]
Immediate understanding of complex heart conditions empowers families and medical teams, enabling better care and informed decisions.
[ Clinically Co-Designed ]
Developed through a collaboration between the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne and The University of Melbourne, Kit of Hearts redefines how we learn about the most vital organ of all.
[ For Health Professionals, Children & Families ]
Designed for clinicians who explain, teach, or care for children with congenital heart disease. Created for families who want to understand their child’s heart clearly, enabling confident, informed decisions.
Kit of Hearts turns complex heart anatomy into clear tactile understanding
[ No One Actually Sees a Real Heart ]
Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) is complex and often poorly understood. Traditional communication relies on abstract diagrams and technical jargon, leaving families, patients, and even medical trainees confused – increasing anxiety, hindering informed consent, and limiting effective education.
[ Comprehensive, Accurate & Accessible ]
Kit of Hearts turns complex heart anatomy into clear, tactile understanding. Life-size, colour-coded, and portable, our models help families, students, and clinicians see and communicate CHD with confidence – at the bedside, on the ward, or in teaching.
Kit of Hearts — See, Touch, Understand
[ Realistic, Tactile Models ]
Hold a life-sized child’s heart and explore.
[ Captures 90% of CHD Patients ]
Complete educational toolkit, not just one-off models.
[ Clinically Accurate ]
Built from real patient data with precision.
[ Interactive Digital Access ]
View interactive digital models anytime, anywhere.
[ Family-Centred & Clear ]
Intuitive designs support understanding and consent.
[ Designed for Daily Use ]
Robust, portable, and built for clinical settings.
[ Portable ]
Use Kit of Hearts in clinic, at the bedside or in a lecture.
[ Customisable ]
Create your own kit or pick curated CHD model collections.
KATE HENDERSON
Nurse, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne
“There is only so much a family can take away from a 2D drawing. When they hold the 3D version of their child’s heart in their hands and are spoken through the different parts – a true understanding comes across their faces. It has been incredible to watch.”
GREG KELLY
Intensivist at Sydney Children's Hospital
“I find it incredibly encouraging that we can now develop such beautiful and educational models from modern imaging data, and that these models offer massive advantages over real preserved specimens in terms of ethics, reproducibility and ease of storage and use.”
DARREN HUTCHINSON
Head of Fetal Cardiology at The Royal Women's Hospital
“We currently rely on simple 2D drawings that cannot communicate the complexity of the 3D heart and its multiple possible malformations. These models enhance communication during complex prenatal consultations, helping families visualise cardiac anatomy and potential surgical pathways with greater clarity and confidence”
GORAN
Father
“Seeing the heart and the scale – it helped me understand. I felt calmer after.”
TAMINA
Mother
“Being able to hold the 3D model and see just how small the left ventricle is took my understanding of Lili’s heart condition to a whole new level.”
Join our Early Partner Programme
Are you a Children’s Hospital, Perinatal Unit, Medical School or Family Group?
Be part of a world-first innovation. Get early access, shape its development, gain exclusive insights.
Enjoy special recognition and pricing as a valued Early Partner.
Developed over three years by a team of 10+ core experts, supported by an extended project group of 30+, and tested with 100+ participants during hospital feedback sessions.
Contact us to meet us @
9th World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology & Cardiac Surgery, Hong Kong, WCPCCS 2025
13th World Congress of the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive & Critical Care Societies, Melbourne, WFPICCS ANZICS/ACCCN 2026
The project has been generously supported by Finnan’s Gift, The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation, The Royal Children’s Hospital, the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning at The University of Melbourne, and Research Innovation Commercialisation at The University of Melbourne.
Dr Charles Larson and A/Prof Rochus Hinkel lead a cross-disciplinary team from The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne and the Melbourne School of Design at The University of Melbourne, bringing together paediatric intensive care specialists, health educators, designers, digital creators, and specialist manufacturers.
New Experimental Technologies
(NExT) Lab
Melbourne School of Design
The University of Melbourne
Parkville 3010, Victoria, Australia
© 2025 Kit of Hearts
RESEARCH PARTNERS:
