Think the world needs another you but can't cough up the $225,000 for your own android clone? Japan's Clone Factory has an alternative in the form of little doppelganger dolls that will set you back a mere $1,770.
The Jibun-san (me) dolls won't model your voice, facial expressions, and upper-body movements like Kokoro's lifelike robots do. But they might make good gifts for friends, family, and fans who can't seem to get enough of you in person.
To get a doll made, you'll need to stop by the Clone Factory office in Tokyo's Akihabara district. The staff will take high-resolution photos of your head from multiple angles and feed the resulting detailed 3D model into a 3D printer.
It, in turn, will spit out a plaster head that's painted and styled to look like you, down to teeth, makeup, and hairstyle, and put atop a body wearing clothes that reflect your style.
Clone Factory is pitching the dolls as souvenirs of special occasions, such as weddings. They stand up to 20 inches tall.
Sadly, we couldn't convince CNET to send the Crave staff to Tokyo just to get dolled up, so we had to settle for Culture Japan writer Danny Choo's firsthand account of the experience. That's him below in flesh form and doll form--and other than the plastic packaging and Stormtrooper body, it's kind of hard to tell the difference.
Thanks, Takayuki Sakurai, for the translation help!
