Germany is taking a leadership role in the 3D printing industry both for its industrial 3D printing capabilities in metal and plastic (EOS, Concept Laser, SLM Solutions, EnvisionTEC, ExOne) and for its advanced 3D scanning capabilities. It is now leading in bringing these services to the consumer and two companies have been particularly active when it comes to photogrammetry and 3D selfies. One is Doob, Group, which I’ve covered often, another is Staramba, which Mike reported on not too long ago.
These two companies actually have a lot in common: both are centered on a transportable photogrammetric system, both have started in Germany and have expanded into the US and Internationally. Furthermore, both see the use of celebrity likenesses as a base upon which to build a prolific consumer business centered upon 3D printed statuettes. Last but not least they both have funny sounding, catchy names.
Staramba has already signed several celebrities from the world of music and sports. While these are – at the moment – mostly names of niche or past celebrities such as Linkin Park, Slash from Guns and Roses, boxing champs and other local stars, the celebrity index has been growing fast. More are likely to come as the company has made its move to the US, with a location in New York and one soon to open in LA.
To further fuel its growth, considering its mother company, Social Commerce Group SE, has recently gone public and is quoted on the German Xetra index, Staramba has just launched a series of new activities and promotions, starting with the “Me and My Star in 3D Program” which lets users get 3D scared in Staramba’s proprietary Instagraph® photogrammetry rig and then get 3D printed together with their idols (provided they are present in Starambas currently limited yet rapidly growing database).
Even more effective to this end might be Staramba’s new Certified Partner Network program, which allows 3D portrait studios to receive free referrals from Staramba.com for new customers who want their 3D selfie posed alongside the star of their dreams. The program will officially launch at the end of the third quarter in solar 2015, but those interested can already apply here: http://goo.gl/forms/pizkbJHjWl. If you consider that the company’s marketing director’s name is Sandra Canning (a name a destiny), it really seems like there has never been a better time to get into photogrammetry.
