As 3D printing technology gets into the hands of more people, odd and yet somewhat interesting startups have begun forming. Twinkind is one of these startups, based in the German town of Hamburg, and they are using the technology to create lifelike replicas of their customers.
While getting a mini-replica of yourself isn’t entirely new, Twinkind has stepped things up to produce something that is almost too lifelike. These aren’t your custom plastic action figures or bobbleheads. Depending on the size you want, which ranges from 6-inches to just under 14-inches, you can get a 3D replica of yourself, a loved one, or even your pet for €225 ($300) to €1,290 ($1720).
Twinkind has only been around for a few months, but has already seen enormous interest in their one of a kind item. The company’s founder, Timo Schaedel, told the German Wall Street Journal that “Within two weeks the whole thing luckily went pretty viral”.
So how does the process of capturing your likeness into something that could last forever work? Capturing your image is the easy part, and since all of the 100-plus photos are taken at the same time, it isn’t nessesary to stand still for a long period. It all happens within a fraction of a second, and it is because of this speed that Twinkind is able to capture customer pets.
Once the photos are taken, and depending on the demand at the time, it is only a matter of 2-5 weeks before your mini-likeness is waiting to come home with you.
For now the process of taking your photo has to be done at their shop in Hamburg, but Twinkind is hoping to have a second location opening up in Berlin by the end of October. For those outside of Germany, expansion into London, New York, and China are just some of the future locations under consideration for the near future.
Sources: Twinkind, Wall Street Journal, The Local
Photos: Twinkind
