DannyChoo probably had it right again. His vision of robotic 3D printed fully articulated dolls seems to have been on point: not in the robotic part (that will come in a few years) as much as for the fully articulated part. Just as it happened for the early, 3D printed mini-me trend in 2012, it began in Japan and arrived in the UK, where 3DforUS, a start-up established in 2013 in the Innovation Center of the University of Exeter, has now evolved its offer from static “2D to 3D figures” to fully articulated, 3D printed miniature action figures. And it is trying to get this new project to take off through Kickstater.
So if you, like me, have wanted a real action figure of yourself, you can get a head start on Kickstarter by purchasing the 12 inch/30 cm Action Me Early Bird package, starting at £65 (about the same price of any current mini-me figures) and $75 after that. That is, if they reach their funding goal of £5,000.
The technology behind it allows the 3DforUS team to create a 3D model from a 2D photo, with which the studio’s designers add in all the details of the face. The head is 3D printed in full color gypsum with a Projet660. The body, at this point, will still be made via injection molding, since, as Alice Taylor from Makies Dolls (probably the number one global expert on 3D printing dolls) explained, it still does not make commercial sense to 3D print the entire body of doll though laser sintering.
Another project a few months ago had offered more hints that this would happen. The Ultimaker Ronin figure takes the concept of fully articulated to the extreme, something possible only through 3D printing. The cost of developing an injection molding cast and manually assembling each part of it would be justified only if Ronin were sold in the millions of units. 3D printing can lower that access point and, while it may be justified for Ronin, it is still unlikely to happen for the rest of us.
Clothing and accessories is a different story. 3DforUS will provide a series of “standard” and “prime” hand-made, miniature costumes that come in packages, including bridal gowns suites, with the possibility to expand the offer in case of reaching the stretch goals set at £7,500, £10,000, and £12,500. A line of accessories is already available; however, that is probably the one aspect where home 3D printers will most come in handy, possibly even for digital sales or in-store sales in 3D print shops.
It seems like a little innovation now, but the ActionMe trend is bound to gain ground, because it combines a number of current manufacturing process, somehow reflecting the current state of the industry: the body is injection molded, the head is professionally 3D printed, the accessories are home 3D printed and the clothing is handmade. And where distinct technologies meet, innovation occurs.
