Posted 04.06.2011 at 2:33 pm
6 Comments
3-D Print Your Own Souvenir
BlablabLAB
Remember those little wax figurines you'd get as a kid at zoos and aquariums? The ones in the shape of a lion or whale, stamped out of a machine, which you'd lose within a few weeks? This project, from freeform experimenters BlablabLAB, is sort of the modern version of that--with a trio of Kinect sensors and a 3-D printer in place of hot wax and whale-shaped molds. The best part: The figurine is modeled after you. Why let those dumb whales get all the glory?
Earlier this year, BlablabLAB set up a sort of interactive art installation on La Rambla, Barcelona's iconic pedestrian street. The user stands in the structure, surrounded by three towers with hacked Kinect sensors inside. Those sensors capture a 360-degree video of the user as he or she (or they) poses. That data is then sent to a RepRap, a very low-cost, low-resolution 3-D printer, which prints out a small figurine of the user(s) in some kind of thermoplastic. Instead of a wax lion or a "Yo <3 Barca" t-shirt, the user is presented with a tiny souvenir of themselves.
The actual mechanics of the project are fairly simple, using already established equipment and software. The hardware is very cheap, and fairly easily available. Yet this is the kind of project that would have been absurdly expensive and impractical just a few years ago--imagine setting up multiple cameras and depth sensors, crafting a 3-D model of a person, and sending it off to some factory to create a mold into which liquid plastic could be poured. Now we can do it with a few hundred dollars worth of off-the-shelf (or fairly easy DIY, in the case of the RepRap) equipment.
Don't forget to check out our rapidly growing coverage of Kinect hacks, and our essential guide to setting up the Kinect.
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The seeker of knowledge who seeks to reach beyond the stars to go where no mans gone before to see things no man has seen and bring these experiences back for the whole world to hear and see.
This is very interesting. I remember when i seen the kinect when it was first released i new that it had definetly overdone wii by a long shot the technology behind it is amzing and so revolutionary this kinect tech has lots of potential and icant wait to see wht they do next. with this i believe i sawl a video on someone who mad a kinect hack for gmail to send messages via wacky hand and body positions so i give this tech 10\10 this is Yours truly the Trulyvisionary
Contrary to Truly, I thought the Kinect seemed like a dumb idea. The game support didn't seem very good, and I couldn't see much potential as a recreational device. However, I've found myself astonished at how many DIY hacks have risen out of it. It is with the work of these visionaries that so much has come out of it.
As far as this specific application, it sounds like an amazing idea! It's an interesting and unique souvenir, and who wouldn't want their own mini-me?
Come check out my tech blog at regiz.blogspot.com !
I personally would like to thank Microsoft for allowing people to create these hacks. They could have been like Sony and try to sue the people. I guess if Microsoft keeps coming up with great ideas like this they don't have to... As you can see it's not just the big tech companies that have great ideas, it's more a collaboration of peoples ideas that make great things.
This seems like a great idea for street artists or places like Las Vegas or Disney World. Get a family portrait printed and then have the an artist paint it in realistic colors. As El said, a great souvenir.
Yeasayer! rad
Just one question. Does anyone in the world using Kinect as it should be, as a game controller? :D