Feb. 11, 2015 | By Alec
It might not be a problem most of us men are aware of, but beautiful curling eyelashes aren’t easy to get. They are typically the result of a long and painful journey to find an eyelash curler that happens to fit a woman’s eye, and often comes with a big and expensive pile of discarded made-in-China one-size-doesn’t-fit-all eyelash curlers.
But I’ve got some great news for all those ladies out there (and men, ask your girlfriends) who are still looking for that one great curler, or are looking for an upgrade. The Redwood, California-based start-up Voir Creations has just launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to produce the world’s first 3D printed, custom-made (and therefore perfectly fitting) eyelash curler. If you recognise this painful and costly process, then this is definitely worth checking out.
These 3D printed eyelash curlers have several advantages; not only will it be specifically made to fit your eyelashes and facial shape, it will also come with a superior functionality, a very comfortable ergonomic grip and a bars-free design to ensure you never pinch your own eyelids. Arguably, it will even result in superior curls; while regular curlers effectively bend your lashes into an L-shape, this 3D printed alternative will feature a flexible silicone pad that results in a more natural C-like curl without damaging your lashes.
Now you might think that you’ve heard all those miracle stories before, but this curler is different from all the others thanks to its manufacturing process. To ensure a perfect fit for each and every user, it is all based on the 3D reconstruction of a person’s face, easily created with your smartphone. Using a special app (for Android and iOS), you can simply scan your face with a series of selfies, that are sent to Voir Creations.
There, these are used to turn your face into a high-quality 3D model, which subsequently determines the exact measurements of the curler. The product is effectively made for your face. And this is where 3D printing comes in, as it produces each component individually. It allows Voir Creations to produce parts that perfectly fit your eye every time.
This clever design process has been developed by molecular-biologist/entrepreneur Adele Bakhtiarova, who has previously been working in stem cell biology, drug discovery and DNA sequencing fields at companies such as Novartis, Genentech, Ipierian and Halcyon Molecular. Throughout that time, she was always frustrated by curling her eyelashes as the curlers always struggled with the corners of her eyes. She therefore began on a quest to find and build the perfect model, learning all about 3D modelling and printing along the way. This product is therefore built by someone who also uses it the product.
However, to take these 3D printed custom-fitting eyelash curlers into production, Adele needs your help to raise the necessary $30,000 to do so. Of course pledging money to her cause on Kickstarter will entitle you to various rewards, and an early bird pledge of $25 is already enough to get your hands on a custom-made eyelash curler that has been made to fit your eyes (in the future, retail price is expected to be $34,99). That’s the equivalent of only a few useless and badly fitting curlers, so this is definitely worth checking out.
For more about these 3D printed curlers, check out this clip:
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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it's just a service from mobile 3d scanning app, not included 3d printing tech.
Adele wrote at 2/11/2015 10:11:44 PM:
Hi Alec, Thanks for your feature! This product would have been possible without the 3D printing tech - it is a true democratization of industrial design! Cheers!
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