You can call them 3D selfies or 3D self cloning, 3D auto-copy or maybe even the familiar 3D scan & print service: we are all a bit narcissistic and the possibility to make a miniature copy of yourself is undeniably something that everyone – whether they admit it or not – is fascinated by.
That is why DoubleMe3D, a new 3D Print & Service shop that just opened in Beliswijk, Southern Holland, is fully focused on 3D printed self replicas, offering a variety of 3D printed clone formats (including both single colour FDM replicas and full colour CJP) as well as 3D scanning services.
It makes perfect sense: the real potential of 3D printing is the ability to create objects that are unique and tailor made. What is more personalized than oneself? Getting “copied” or “physically photographed” (here is another way to say it) helps people understand the potential of consumer 3D services, something that is likely to become a lot more popular in the coming years.
One day it will likely no longer be solely about action figures and toys and more about getting facial or full body 3D scans done to obtain services of all kinds, from tailored made bicycles to prostheses and medical supports.
Today getting your full body scan 3D printed in single colour FFF/FDM at DoubleMe3d will run you 85 euro for the maximum height (17 cm), while just the upper body (11 cm) will cost 95 euro because of the larger quantity of material required. You can even get your own head made into a keychain for 30 euro and start collecting them.
That 3D printed self-replicas were going to be a dominant consumer trend in 3D printing had been anticipated by Janne Kyttanen, founder of Freedom of Creations, one of the first companies to explore consumer 3D printing, and now one of the most popular designers experimenting with the technology (that is when he is not busy as 3D Systems’s Creative Director). In fact, one of the featured creations on his personal website is an ensemble of his own 3D printed heads: modeled by fused deposition or 3D printed in full colour. Now 3D Systems has turned its attention to food and clay. Are edible and ceramic 3D printed clones next?
