A new trend appeared in Japan. Thanks to the improved 3D printing and scanning technology of the Okuyuki Kobo company the production of small figurines of people made from real models became possible. Now many Japanese families make small figurines of their relatives including children which is rather simple due to quick scanning even of moving subjects like infants or pets.

The company has represented its special “photo booth” in Tokyo’s Minato Ward on 1-2 of March. The system being created in the US uses 17 upright bars, about 2.2 m tall, which contain a total of 89 cameras. A person (or up to four people at once) should stand in the centre of it and within a second the cameras will photo him/them two times: the first – for adjusting the color and brightness and the second to take the 3D shape of the object. Than the scanned image is processed on a PC.

The customer will choose among 4 different types of 3D printed objects from 7 to 23 cm tall and will cost from 9,800 to 122,000 of Japan yens. The figurines are made of plaster and it takes a month to get the ready made figurine. Another good news is that these big scanners can be folded up and transported allowing to be rented which means that the Okuyuki Kobo’s invention will soon be available for many people.