The best thing you can 3D print for yourself in 2014 is . . . yourself.
I previously wrote about my adventure to the "Inside 3D Printing" conference in Manhattan.
It was there that I discovered a booth run by The Bobble Shop, a French firm with a franchise in Washington Heights that featured a machine that looked like this:
I put my head inside, and it took a 180-degree picture of my head.
One week later, I got a small package in the mail containing a figurine that featured my face sculpted onto a model of a character I can only describe as the blonde long-lost half-brother from Raiden from "Mortal Kombat."'
The one I got doesn't actually Bobble — I didn't totally love the character options for the ones that did. The choice seemed to be between a guy in Army fatigues, and Star Wars characters, like this:
One could argue that not since the advent of photochemical material has there been this kind of technological leap in the ability to reproduce one's likeness. It has absolutely no utility, and freaked a couple people out. But most got the joke, and it remains funny to look at.
There are several locations, in Manhattan at least, that offer the figurine service, and at a pretty reasonable price. (The Bobble Shop was giving out free demos at the convention. We would recommend them too.)
Some places offer to turn you into a cartoon:
An even more mind blowing service exists, though places that offer it appear a bit fewer and farther between: printing out full-scale models of yourself.
The most renowned firm that does this is Berlin-based Twinkind. They suggest customers use them to 3D print wedding photos or family portraits.
A business outside Lawrence, Ks. called Lifeform Studio also provides this service:
SEE ALSO: The Most Interesting, Non-Obvious Things You Can Make At Home On A 3D Printer