3D printing has given us mini-me’s. Cloning oneself as a 3D miniature is one of the first, increasingly prolific, services offered to consumers, and is a cool application that demonstrates the level of personalized manufacturing possible with additive technologies. The promise of highly personalized products goes well beyond a personal 3D photograph but it remains strictly tied to – and thus far limited by – the quality, availability and affordability of 3D scanners.
And in terms of full body scanners, there is even less choice. Currently there are a few different options available but they tend to be too expensive, or not sufficiently precise, or not yet on the market in order to truly open up a world in which a perfect virtual 3D version of ourselves can wonder through hyperspace and occasionally purchase tailor made virtual products to download and 3D print.
4DDynamics, a Belgian 3D scanner manufacturer based in Antwerp, wants to be the first organisation to offer a full entrance into this personalized virtual and physical 3D world. To achieve its “american dream”, the company is opening an office in New York City, at 1777 Avenue of the Americas, and launching the new IIID automated full body scanner along with the IIID.me portal into the virtual 3D world.
Through its 13 years of experience in 3D acquisition algorhithms & biometric technologies, 4DDynamics has created a full body scanner that can capture a person’s full digital “3D-ID” in little over 4 seconds and “beam” that person into a 3D digital world where everyone will be able to share their digital copy and use it to move around in a virtual game environment or in a tablet and smartphone App. Or just get 3D printed, anywhere, by any machine.
In the near future, clothing shopping, bespoke medical supplies and personalized toys are just some of the areas that this technology will be applied to but the possibilities that come from combining 3D virtual and physical interaction are endless. That is why many companies are now racing to bring these possibilities to their customers.
