3D printing is not yet an everyday mundanity, so there are many ways in which it’s still a great novelty. Japanese startup Fotofig has recognized this and is creating mini figures of people using only photos as a source. It’s a fun way to see you or the kids shrunk to about the size of a paperback book.
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There’s no specific app for this, as you only need to send in a bunch of photos of the person/pet you want to shrink into figurine form to Fotofig. And then pay up. The service is not cheap, costing about US$400 for a 15cm figure, and US$650 for a 25cm one, notes Startup-Dating.
If you’re prepared to wait nearly a year, you could buy an entire 3D printer from a Singaporean startup for about 300 bucks and then do-it-yourself with the help of a free app.
3D printing is big business, chiefly because of the price but consumer-grade printers have begun to sneak out, such as the ultra-dandy FlashForge 3D printer which is fairly affordable at US$1200. As with any new tech, the newer a device the more expensive it is. As with most 3D printers, the most costly component are the printing spools (the “ink” of 3D machines) that usually run for US$125 and upwards.
Heck, may not even be safe for us as some sites (it’s TechCrunch this time) have reported that 3D printers emit 20-billion particles per minute. For references sake, burning plastic emits 200-billion particles per second and is disgustingly toxic. At even 10% of that level, it’s still hazardous to our health. But look at that mini-me 3D printed boy. Maybe adorable is worth respiratory disease?
This article by Steven Millward originally appeared on Tech in Asia, a Burn Media publishing partner. Additional reporting by Gearburn.
