A Mini-Me 3D printed version of technology journalist Chris Griffith, left, and his larger self. Picture: Hollie Adams. Source: News Corp Australia
Is this vanity central? An extension of selfie culture? Or the start of a hugely profitable fashion?
Whatever the case, the digital age is delivering humans with a clever way of replicating themselves as stone-like images, or as 3D printer firm Keech3D calls them, Mini-Mes, citing the vertically-challenged assistant of Dr Evil in the Austin Powers movies.
But unlike, say, China’s meticulously crafted terracotta warriors, Mini-Mes can be speedily created by a 3D printer in a matter of seconds.
The technology is proving a buzz at Officeworks, in Melbourne’s Russell Street, where the store is promoting Mini-Mes as the central part of its 3D Experience Centre.