By Heather Kelly, CNN
If you've always wanted a smaller replica of yourself, but are hesitant to commit to the cost and stress of parenthood, there is now an alternative. If you're in Tokyo, you can sit for a 3-D portrait.
Omote 3D Shashin Kan is a pop-up portrait studio that uses a handheld scanner to create a three-dimensional model of your entire body. A 3-D printer then makes a small, intricately detailed plastic figurine. The final, full-color models look exactly like the larger you, down to the wrinkles on the clothes and part in the hair.
The 3D photo-booth project is part of a photography exhibition at the Eye of Gyre gallery in Tokyo's Harajuku neighborhood. It's the brainchild of PARTY, a young ad, branding and entertainment company based in New York and Tokyo.
"[The] photo studio is a very special place for Japanese families to shape their memories," explained Naoki Ito, PARTY's creative director.
Ito says the idea was inspired by a Japanese custom called Shichi-Go-San, which is a festival that celebrates children coming of age. Japanese families often head to local photo studios for these types of big life events.
"Our idea is to attempt to capture you and your family's portraits in 3D," said Ito.
At the studio, you can order a small you in three different sizes: 3.9-inches (10cm), 5.9-inches (15cm) or 7.8-inches (20cm) tall. A pocket-sized person does not come cheap. Prices range from $264 (21,000 yen) to $528 (42,000 yen). The price tag is more reasonable when you think of them as miniature sculptures.
If you buy in bulk - three or more identical models - the price per replica is lower, and you can have a portable like-minded friend for the car, home and office. They also make great stocking stuffers.
There are some ground rules for subjects. It takes 15 minutes for the artists to scan your entire body, so you'll have to pick a comfortable pose that you can hold. The artists don't recommend bringing kids under six or pets, as they do not excel at staying still for long periods of time. You can't wear fluffy fabrics like fur, small detailed patterns like polka dots, shiny materials such as patent leather, and any accessory too detailed for the 3D printer to replicate such as earrings, glasses or bags.
Unlike a traditional photo booth, there is no instant gratification. The models take about a month to complete.
The studio is only open for a limited time, starting November 24 and going until January 14. The photo sessions require a reservation, and you have to book your appointment through the project's website.
If you can't make it to Tokyo before it's over, don't worry, PARTY could be bringing its photo booth to a gallery near you.
"We [are] considering the possibility of going on a world exhibition tour," said Ito, "and also planning to establish it as a permanent business in the future."
The booth is just one of PARTY's many ongoing projects. The group's philosophy is that "new creations are born from new processes," and they're constantly experimenting with new creative techniques that combine design and technology.
[Via Spoon & Tamago]
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3D Photo Booths? Interesting and making you minature like honey I shrunk the kids!!!
Magic Moment Photo Booth
http://www.magicmomentphotobooth.com
A Mini-Me key fob. My life would be complete.
I agree, very cool and the price will drop as it's westernized!
$400? Hmm...a little expensive.
At that price, it's useless. Get it down to ten bucks with a ten-minute wait and you'd have something.
Excellent new product! Imagine the bride and groom atop the cake or your child in their Halloween costume. What I see later would be couples engaging in their favorite love-making position and then possibly these replicas would be bought and sold on the open market. Now that's what I call stimulating the economy!
Other than holding it in your hands, how is this better than just looking in a mirror?
It brings a whole new definition to the term "playing with yourself".
I can see corperate giants collecting these of their workers. Then playing them like Chess pieces.
WOW....looking great....
I liked your post very much. thanks for sharing with us. Effluent filters
Must...have
Better wait for next year model, it will be a live mini you, but who want that!
Disney is already doing these kinds of items... During their Star Wars Weekends you can get a figure of yourself frozen in carbonite (like Han Solo). They also offer 3D scanning so little girls have a figure or ornament of them dressed as their favorite Disney princess... Not to mention a few different companies that offer scanning of people for their own action figures...
This should win the award for the funniest lead of the year. I cracked up @ work after reading that. I guess that's what I get for reading while working.
I could see these being used as wedding toppers... Sweetness.
Does it cost more for fat people?
No you will not cost more.
That's what I call a comeback !!
Kind of neat and freaky at the same time. Imagine the perverted things a guy would do.
Why only a guy? I have plenty of female friends who would do the same XD
I would get a mini-me and hold it itn my hand while I was getting another one so I could have a mini me holding a minimini-me
I would dress up and pose as a GI Joe figure complete with metal detector or bazooka.
I want one
But would the little me be thinner than the maxi me?
no, it is what you are.. LOL
uaregay
That is awesome also check out PROTOS EYEWEAR they are a 3D printing company that does the same in America but for sunglasses.
That is pretty awesome,
XD that´s funny
Get the price down, and you could REALLY play chess with your friends.
Seems kind of creepy to me.
But will they work as voodoo dolls is what I want to know.
Hmmm, can I make them lifesize, anatomically correct and posable?
Just think, you could have a complete collection of ex-boyfriends or girlfriends.
To stick pins in.
3D copying is just beginning. In a few years we can go to a booth, be scanned, pay by cc and have a mini-you in seconds.
Good for charm bracelettes, key rings, cake toppers, tosy for ?, games, voodoo, better family records, on and on. Family photo albums will never be the same.
I do 1/32 scale architectural models and would love to 'people' them with real client models.
Our company 3D Prints full color architectural models with the Z Corp Z Printer. We also sell the printers. Feel free to contact me if you would like more information.
All the best,
Jeff Kinzer
Team Bastech, Inc.
937 470-9140
Wonder if you get to keep the digital scan data?
You could do a LOT of cool stuff on a computer with THAT info.
Yeah, I was thinking that. Add bones and put yourself in a video game.
What a boon to the voodoo industry...
Good one!
Brilliant!
Where can I buy stock in this outfit?
Love Asian ideas
. Keep rocking!
Customized Chess Board... I can finally be King.
I was thinking the same thing!
Don't you mean queen, needledick?
Don't be weird, Carl.
While this may not seem like much now, this could be the death of mass production as we know it. Why buy what everyone else has, customize everything. As this advances, parts will not have to be mass produced and sitting on a shelf somewhere. It can be created as needed. Just think, sunglasses that fit your face perfectly not to mention sports equipment, aror, etc. Should not only allow unique one of a kind at very reasonable cost but should drive down waste, time, labor. Hmmm....maybe this will be the new technology that puts our economy back in zoom drive as it is a game changer for how we now do things. Pretty cool.
I agree, but what would will we replace all the lost jobs with?
The jobless can become designers.
You are correct. Google "Rapid prototyping" to see what commercial grade 3D printers can really do. They've been around for years and the technology seems almost Star Trekish. There are many DIY versions but the final product is far from great. It will get there though.
I've seen video demonstrations of 3D printers. I wonder what is different about this particular process that causes a one month turnaround time? The demos I've seen are full color and much faster than this. Maybe it's a level of detail thing.
does it cost 1 millllion dollars?
You can give everyone a replica of yourself for Christmas.
You can finally play with yourself.
haahha nice one!
Hmmm, first thought I had was custom wedding cake toppers
Excellent!
The initial applications are amazing. Cake Toppers is an ultimate vanity item. Architects can place models of their high end clients in models. Gamers can get models of their online characters.
It's quite exciting...
Custom Dungeons & Dragons miniature set starring yourself.
I instantly thought the same thing! That would be cool.
It would be intersting to see a mini-me with erection.
You left yourself open for MANY little jokes. lol
Small accesories may not turn out too well
Look in the mirror!
It would be more interesting to see what you would try to hang on it.
15 minute pose – too old to keep it up that long...
One word: Viagra.....and you have yourself a four hour pose long enough to scan the little guy !!
Your current microscope may not work. You may have to special order a high-powered microscope this time...
The only useful thing I can see for this is to make a couple of me and my wife for the kings and queens, a bunch of friends for other important pieces and a bunch of people I don't like for the pawns for a chess board.
What an excellent idea
I don't know, Mitt. Are you sure Ann will go along with it?
Isn't it amazing that poilitcians talk about the same issues every election campaign season and people are like dumb "%^# that still applaud to it. Candidates always talk about "for the good of our children; for the benefit of our aging mothers and fathers; education etc." because those can easily get vote. I guess Americans of this generation (I mean those who vote) are so stupid that they elect whoever is the popular candidate. No matter what Pol Party he or she is in. Why complain about the kind of government we have. We deserve it.
Amazing how little it takes to amuse people
I have to admit that I didn't read the article. I was more fascinated by the comments below the article. It's clear that the U.S. is packed full of pervs, critics and smart-asses. God Bless America! (And no were else.)
*where
*Jane
Bless you too. Did you sneeze or something?
$264 for a stocking stuffer? Eff that! $5 scratch-off tickets for the whole clan and they'll like it!
I want a model of every pair of labia I have ever licked.
Wouldn't you want that life sized?
I'm sure that won't cost you much. lol
Then I guess you already have as many as you wished for.
This is the most stupid invention I have ever known. What would be the purpose of a miniature 3-D person? Nothing. A wax sculpture the same size of you makes more sense.
Relax. Not everything needs to cure cancer.
You're an idiot, malik
Before we made bombs we threw rocks. This is just a step in the evolution of how we create things- enjoy while it creates silly toys. Someday ot will make body parts that look like the original or replacement parts for an old car. The cool thing is that
Exactly.
This is crap journalism. The writer is trying desperately to make this thing into something it's not. He acts like this is some amazing photo booth at the mall where you walk away with a mini you and then waits until the end of the article to clarify that it takes a month to make the sculpture and it's expensive.
All the amazing parts of this story were the parts the writer insinuated but turned out to be misleading.
This is really not all that impressive. This could probably be done 10 years ago, perhaps 20. I also noticed that there are no clear pictures of the scuptures. Do they suck that much that you don't want to even post a good picture of them?
I've got a 40 year old action figure at home that looks exactly like Mr T. It probably took a lot less then a month to make. Does it look any worse then the scupture of the guy with the moose knuckles there at the end? lol
Hysterical, Mark! Keep up the good work.
Why, I remember when they were talking about stupid things like cell phones... The first ones were the size of bricks, weighed as much and cost well over $1000.. in 1980 dollars... No sir, that will NEVER catch on.
Camel-toe alert on the guy in the last picture! lol
LMAO
Do you and Tracie know each other? Her statement is even sicker than yours.
LOL i just saw tracie's comment. Made me spit out my drink through my nose. LOL Thanks.
No, we're not related.......and by the way, my Camel-toe comment is FACT!
Clearly a cross-dresser.
But those people have little wee-wees!
Spelling error :S "The price tag is more reasonable when you tink of them as miniature sculptures."
I want to take a 3D picture of my but!h0le and smell it. My husband sat on my face for 2 hours last night. I love it. We had a steak and eggs dinner at Waffle House.
Tracie, you are writing to the wrong blog. This is CNN, not Penthouse Forum.
Your husband is a lucky dog!
HaHa,
Her husband IS a dog!
Tracie,
you are sick ... my kind of girl!
That's no girl.
Comment of the day!
On a sidenote, stocking stuffers? Really? Maybe in the Hamptons but...
That is so cool. It's too bad it's so expensive though. When I was in Tokyo I had my picture taken and they transposed it onto a mini Godzilla keychain. What will they think of next?
This has the makings of the ultimate personalized chess set. Let's see, I'll be the king, but who am I going to use for the pawns?
Innovation everywhere else, but the U.S.
I'm thinking of other novelty applications. I'm going to have to take three Viagras to stay "still" for fifteen minutes, though....
It's a handheld scanner. A whole body takes 15 minutes. Your peen would probably take about 5 seconds.
I'd love to have a Phearis action figure. Playing with myself would be fun for hours on end.
First two pictures are obvious Photoshops, but I guess not to the editor...
The first two are OBVIOUSLY pictures from the website showing price and the different sizes. Of COURSE they are probably Photoshopped!
If it can't do "fur", then how does it handle hair?
I think it's a time constraint. Rendering a normal amount of head/facial hair doesn't take as long as trying to replicate an entire fur garment, I would guess.
So going to make a few hundred of these and hide them around town... Fuggin awesome.
Future wedding cake figurine disasters written all over this one!
Think of it this way-if the marriage fails, each spouse has a life-like miniature of the other to stomp in effigy. Might be a safe way to relieve the anger.
seems silly but I think it could be a cute thing for a cake topper at a wedding
Yep, i need at least one of each!