WHAT IS SMART DOLL?
"Smart Doll is a 60cm tall articulated fashion doll designed by Danny Choo and manufactured in Japan by Culture Japan.
The first Smart Doll is modeled after the Japan tourism mascot Mirai Suenaga and comes in two flavors - Manual and Automatic.
The Manual version is powered by your imagination thanks to the fully articulate and sturdy internal frame called Mirai Frame.
The Automatic version is powered by electricity - a robotic doll that not only can move on its own but also comes with functionality to inform you when you get notifications from Twitter, Facebook or updates from your Mail and Calendar."
HOW TO BUY
I'm aware that many folks who have arrived on this page are interested in buying a Smart Doll but before you do decide to buy - please read through this whole page - don't skip anything!
As a consumer, I know how disappointing it can be to receive something in the post and discover that I just paid a ton of moolah for something that was completely different from what I expected.
The purpose of this post is to outline what the product is and set expectations for all so that there are no surprises - and remember that the only version available now is the non-robotic Manual Version.
Having said that, I'm also aware that there are some folks out there who want to get their hands on a Smart Doll ASAP - if thats you then the cart is here!
WEB REVAMP
if you are a regular reader of dannychoo.com, you will notice that the Smart Doll pages use a different template. For now you can't do photo annotations on them either.
All photos are HD sized so should make nice wallpaper. They also resize with the width of the browser.
You can comment as usual though.
Why Smart Doll?
I would think that most humans have at least one passion that they live before they kick the bucket - something that drives them to wake up every day and look forward to breaking through the barriers that are part and parcel of trying to reach a goal.
Up until now, to be honest I didn't feel that I achieved much in life. While one of the best things about my job is that I get to make comrades around the world, I've always felt that I haven't done anything significant - up until now. Smart Doll changes everything.
Now when the Apes take over after the apocalypse, they can dig up a Smart Doll - they can dig up something physical that I created ^^;
Many folks around me seem to prefer that I stayed a blogger but I didn't want to die just writing articles all my life - I wanted to create something special and I believe that many humans are the same - they want to create.
Don't get me wrong though - I do think that blogging (which I still do from time to time ^^;) is a creative process and I have been able to connect to folks around the world through my writings but at the end of the day its all 1's and 0's in the cloud - a mega magnetic pulse could wipe out all forms of data during that apocalypse meaning no more blog - a physical item however is very different - just check out the museums to see what they dug up so far!
From the time of the cavemen who had been creating paintings on the walls of their caves and even making dolls - I feel that I was destined to create something before I die which will could be anytime between now and 30 - 40 years time.
If I do live until I'm 70 or 80, it means that I've already lived for more than half of my life. While I couldn't really do anything about my first 10 years or so being brought up in a foster home, I feel that I've been able to take back my life after discovering Japanese Culture which has enabled me to produce something that I believe will change not only the doll market but also the way we think about robotics and communications - then eventually going beyond that and changing the world.
But why dolls?
I discovered the 60cm genre of dolls through a product called "Dollfie Dream" and was amazed at not only the quality and detail but also the cuteness too!
I sought to get hold of one but it wasn't easy convincing our Finance Director (wife) especially when they cost about 60,000 JPY. I had no idea why they cost so much - until I started to make my own - the unit costs of such a product are really high ><
I was so happy that I got to meet the Managing Director at Volks last year!
Through writing and sharing my interests on the 60cm genre of dolls, I have been able to connect with new comrades around the world. I see these dolls as a social media which brings complete strangers together. While I do love existing products on the market, I really wanted to create my own doll which not only reflects my vision of design but also introduces some new concepts too.
In particular, I wanted to have my mascot character Mirai Suenaga made into this genre of doll so I set about learning all the manufacturing processes involved through Google-sensei, connect with folks in the industry and bootstrapped the Smart Doll project mainly through the sales of Mirai Suenaga merchandise.
My vision is to change the global fashion doll market with a genre of doll that most of the planet has not seen before and I believe that when they do see it - many will want it.
From now I will be making our own characters (next is Kizuna Yumeno followed by Chitose Shirasawa) and have no plans on developing any anime or game licensed models so if none of my girls tickle your fancy then I recommend you keep an eye on Dollfie Dream as they develop a load of cute anime and game characters.
But before we continue, here are some of my fave photos of Mirai who makes a great photography companion!
View more at Flickr »
Smart Doll Manual Version
Smart Doll Manual Version (also abbreviated as SDMV) is the non-robotic version of Smart Doll.
Instead of electronics, the body houses a proprietary designed frame on the inside called Mirai Frame which allows for a wide range of articulation and poses just like an action figure.
Mirai Frame
The Internal Skeleton for Smart Doll Manual Version
Designed by Noriaki Miyata and myself, Mirai Frame is the skeleton used inside the Manual Version of Smart Doll. Mirai Frame is made from POM (Polyoxymethylene) which is recognized for its high strength, hardness and rigidity.
The frame comes with a hole called Smart Support Socket located just above the base of the spine which not only enables dynamic mid-air poses with the Smart Air Stand (sold seperately) but also provides additional stability via the telescopic stand that comes included with Smart Doll.
The spine employs the Jeton Joint which not only enables a wide range of movement but is also lightweight.
The injection mold for Mirai Frame is crafted in Yamagata and Tokyo while the actual injection molding is done in Tokyo by Muto Molding.
I do plan on selling just the frame as a standalone product in the future but for now I'm focusing on the Smart Doll 001: Mirai Suenaga.
Smart Doll Automatic Version
Smart Doll Automatic Version is the robotic version of Smart Doll. Instead of Mirai Frame, the internals are made up of a casing which houses the servo motors and electronics that enable Smart Doll to move her limbs and head automatically through sending commands via an Android or iOS enabled mobile device.
Smart Doll Automatic Version is not only about robotics but also about computing and telecommunications.
The Automatic Version is not due out until end of 2014. I'm not accepting pre-orders until the product is ready.
For now - an old video of her in action at YouTube.
Mirai Smart Body
Mirai Smart Body is the outer shell that houses either the Mirai Frame for the Manual Version or the robotic components for the Automatic Version - the appearance of both are identical.
I designed the body of Smart Doll to reflect my vision of how I thought a fashion doll body should look like which is why the proportions are different from other dolls in the same genre.
Smart Doll has long legs and wide hips but the Small Bust still ended up being on the large side><
The dimension chart for Smart Doll can be found on Flickr.
I'm currently working on a completely new fashion brand for Smart Doll but while I get that up and running, you can shop for doll clothes at some of the following online stores.
Volks Online
DOLK
TTYA
Nine9 Style
Leeke World
Iple House
For custom made items you can contact one of the Smart Doll Official Tailors - remember to tell them what bust size you have and they will design something to fit your Mirai.
Murasaki.me
Puppy Dolls
Aesthetics & Poseability
Designed to not only look good but to pose good too
One of the most challenging things about designing a doll is to decide on a balance between looks and poseability.
I initially designed the Smart Doll body to look smexy as I felt that it was an important factor for a fashion doll. The design was done using software such as ZBrush and then printed out on a 3D printer. After the parts were printed, I discovered that the looks of the body hindered the articulation so from there I slowly modified the design of the body to create a balance between looking good and being articulate.
I do plan on selling just the blank Smart Body on its own in the future but am now just focusing on the Smart Doll 001:Mirai Suenaga Manual Version.
Spare body parts are also in the pipeline but not available now. And yes various hand parts are in the making too.
There are a few new concepts that Smart Doll introduces to this genre of doll - one is the Triple Axis Joint. As you can see from the design of the foot - there are 3 axes which enables Smart Doll to stand firmly on the ground when her feet are slightly apart without this joint design, only the edges of her feet would touch the ground.
The arms play a very important role in expression when posing so it was also important that the wrists had a Triple Axis Joint too. You will notice a little pocket in the hand joint - this is actually there for folks who want to place a magnet inside for holding oddly shaped accessories.
3 Bust Sizes Available
Not as many cup sizes as Starbucks but just enough
Many dolls in the same genre traditionally are designed with a joint right in the middle of the waist which I wasn't too keen on.
I designed Smart Doll to have the waist joint below and behind the bust which follows the natural form of the boobies and looks particularly good with the Medium and Large busts.
Mirai has a modest sized bust which is why I originally designed her with the L size bust - but she didn't look that great with her rosebuds showing through her T-shirt - she would get embarrassed when out n about.
For this reason Mirai ships with the Small bust which does not have rosebuds but looks greeeaaaaat with a T-shirt!
In the photo above we can see the Medium bust on the left, Small bust in the middle and Large bust on the right. The Medium and Large busts look similar but the Large has more volume on the sides.
The Medium and Large look great in a bikini or when in birthday suit mode but don't look too good in a T-shirt as the rosebuds look like they are going to poke somebody's eye out.
The arms and head are designed to be easily removed by the owner - once removed, the busts become interchangeable.
Smart Support Socket
The Smart Support Socket is a step out of the comfort zone and introduces a new way of not only supporting the Smart Doll body - but also providing extensibility for accessories and robotics in the future.
Telescopic stand for extra stability
Say sayonara to bulky "portable" doll stands
Mirai Suenaga Smart Doll can stand on her own two feet without additional aid but for extra support on uneven surfaces, I have included a portable telescopic stand - together with her two feet, the three points of support provides strong stability when taking photos outdoors or in windy conditions.
Up until now, doll stands have been large, heavy, clumsy to handle and make a beautiful doll look....not so good as they usually provide support by a visible "C" shape around the waist or ankle or even by a saddle below the crotch.
Not only can the telescopic stand fold up and fit in your pocket, when attached to the Smart Support Socket, depending on the angle you take your photos - either one of the legs hide the stand so you can't even see it.
Smart Air Stand
For the home or office interior and great for event display.
This is the made in Japan Smart Air Stand which I'm still currently developing - I would say that this is the world's sturdiest doll stand ever! It fits into the Smart Support Socket and you can adjust the height for those mid air poses or just have Mirai do a skipping pose on your table.
I'm designing it so that you can even attach the main pole to a camera tripod to take photos of Mirai when you are out n about. The color of the base turned out a bit weird so am having a new sample made. Once I approve it then we mass produce it - should be ready for sale mid July 2014.
Ultra Clear Resin Eyes
I'm extremely pleased with the quality of the Smart Doll resin eyes and I think you are going to like them too - they are incredibly clear! Mirai's resin eyes are all handmade in Japan.
Interchangeable Heat Resistant Wigs
Mirai Smart Doll comes with an interchangeable heat resistant wig - this means you can not only style the hair but change it too which gives Mirai a completely different look and feel. We have already pleated the braids too so you don't have to.
I will be developing our own line of wigs soon but for the meantime you can look for 3rd party wigs which have a head circumference of 21cm.
In The Box
Ready to go with Mirai's casual wear
I originally was going to ship Mirai in her Summer school uniform but what I discovered is that the majority of folks seem prefer their girls to be wearing something casual instead.
It did not make sense that the majority of folks would pay for the (usually) anime or game default uniform that they didn't really want and end up selling it - then have a hard time hunting and paying for casual wear.
I like Mirai's Summer uniform but I also prefer casual wear which is why I've decided to have the default model in Mirai's casual jeans and T-shirt.
What you see in this photo is the actual product and not samples - included with Mirai is a beanie, T-shirt, jeans, underwear, socks, shoes, magnetic hairclip and the telescopic stand.
What You See Is What You Get
Product photos are of the actual product - not of enhanced prototypes or touched up images
I didn't take pre-orders for Smart Doll until I could show you the actual product as I wanted to set expectations correctly.
As a consumer, I know how disappointing it can be to pre-order something based on the looks of a prototype and then finding out that it looks nothing like what you was lead to believe.
Product photos are not photoshopped nor are products enhanced in anyway to make them look better than they actually are. I currently use the SONY RX1 to take most of the key images.
This is a photo of the jeans that come with Mirai - being hung up to dry after being given the worn look and feel.
MIRAI SUENAGA
Smart Doll 001 is modeled after Mirai Suenaga - the mascot character for Culture Japan and heroine for the story Mirai Millennium.
Since her creation by Danny Choo back in 2007, Mirai has gained a wide following around the world.
Domestically in Japan, Mirai has collaborated with companies such as Good Smile Company, Bushiroad, Nitroplus, JC Staff, King Records, Kadokawa and more.
Internationally, Mirai has collaborated with Kinokuniya, Air Asia, Lawson, Penang Tourism and has also become Malaysia’s IC card called Touch N Go.
In 2013, Mirai became an official mascot for Japan Tourism and by early 2014 she had her own racing team which will race GT tracks worldwide.
Read more about Mirai Suenaga »
The Making of Smart Doll
Designed, Manufactured and Assembled in Japan
While there is one main reason to manufacture the Smart Doll body overseas (cheaper costs), there are a plethora of reasons why I decided to manufacture in Japan - despite the higher costs.
I work with vendors located throughout Japan on the various parts of the Smart Doll body and while the costs are on the high side, the workmanship over here is pretty much top notch meaning that I don't need to spend all my time traveling to somewhere overseas to watch the production line like a hawk.
I thought I'd talk a little bit about the production process to not only give you a better understanding of Smart Doll but also share techniques involved so that others can use the knowledge to make stuff too.
This section may be boring to some but it's important you know as much as possible about a product that you may be interested in forking out a ton of moolah on.
Design & Mold Preparation
1. The software we use to sculpt the body is a 3D software package called ZBrush.
2. ZBrush data is then imported into 3D Max for various tweaks and to make sure everything moves and fits together.
3. We used two different types of CAD packages for the frame - SolidWorks and Pro/ENGINEER.
4. The face is initially mirrored but then manually tweaked so that its not unnaturally symmetrical.
5. We use a software called Netfabb to prepare the data for printing.
6. Back then, I used a 3D printing service in Tokyo called Digimode - all I needed to do was to submit my STL data and a few days later they would send back the parts.
7. Digimode used the Envisiontec Ultra rapid prototyping machine to print the parts.
8. The bits that you see attached to the bottom of the bust are called Support Structures which need to be snapped off and sanded down.
9. This is the first time I see my creation as a whole ^o^ The next step is discussed in the following section "Soft Vinyl Mold Preparation."
10. Now that the body shell data is complete, we need to tweak the internal frame data based on findings from our 3D printouts.
11. We used a 3D printer that printed in nylon as it was the optimum material needed to see how joints rubbed against and fitted with each other.
12. We tweak the data based on the 3D printouts and repeat the process a zillion times until we feel the design is optimum.
13. The frame is going to be injection molded so we need to prepare the mold data. This process was way more complex than I imagined and involved knowledge of material flow, cooling levels, wrinkling, warpage, mold temperature, injection pressure etc etc - all that and more just to know where to put the pieces in the mold and where to attach the runner gates.
14. After a while, we managed to get our own 3D printer which we started to use for production (review here). Just like before, we prepare some STL data of the part to be printed and load it into the printer software called PreForm.
15. Preparation of the printer by pouring in the clear resin.
16. An ultraviolet laser beams up from inside the printer and hits the bottom of the tank to cure the resin.
17. This hand can take between 2 and 6 hours depending on the layer thickness setting.
18. The printed parts are then removed from the Build Platform.
19. To use this printout for our doll production, I cut off the Support Structures and then sand down the surface to prepare it for the next step which is Casting. My goal is to create a copper mold used for mass production of the soft vinyl shell.
20. Photo together with Miyata Noriaki who I designed the frame with.
Soft Vinyl Mold Preparation
Continuing on from the previous section, now we look at how the molds are made for the soft vinyl outer shell.
1. Taking the 3D printouts of the body parts in the previous section, the next step is to make silicone molds which we will then use to make wax duplicates of the pieces. We then tie the two pieces of mold back together again and then pour in some hot wax.
2. Once the wax has cured, we can remove it from the silicon mold. Notice the wrist has a funnel attached - this is to enable us to pour in the soft vinyl when this eventually becomes a mold.
3. As soon as the wax copy is taken out of the silicone, the surfaces are rough and need to be polished down - if there are blemishes on the wax then it will end up being in the mold meaning anything made from the mold will also inherit blemishes.
4. Next up is preparing to make the wax copy into a mold and this is done in a process called Electroforming. Each part is first sprayed with graphite-based ink that makes it electrically conductive.
5. Each piece is has copper wire tied to it and hugh up to dry.
6. The wax copy is then dipped into an electrolytic bath. Deposits of copper then build up on the conductive surface to replicate the surface atom by atom.
7. Depending on the size of the wax piece, it can take a week for the copper to build up - this is the end result after the wax inside has been melted and poured away.
8. The copper molds are then welded on to a plate of metal called a "Frypan."
9. We currently only have one set of molds but discovered that we need to increase our mold count as we can't keep up with demands with this single set ><
10. The manufacturing process used to mold the body shell is called "Slush Casting." Here liquid vinyl is poured into one of the molds. The vinyl we use is the same material as other soft vinyl dolls on the market and does not pose any general risk to human health unless you eat or suck it - no sucking!
11. When the liquid vinyl is poured into the copper molds, air pockets get trapped in the liquid which must be removed - we do that by using a centrifugal separator which spins round for 30 seconds or so.
12. Even still, air pockets may be stubborn so they need to be removed using brute force - introducing a deaerator which removes all trace of oxygen from inside the chamber where the mold is placed.
13. The mold is the placed in a bath of oil which has been heated up to about 180 - 190 Celsius. The thickness of the doll piece is determined by how long you leave the mold in the oil. The heat penetrates through the mold and heats up the vinyl closest to the inner wall of the mold.
14. The copper mold is then placed into a cold water bath to cool down.
15. Next we need to pull the part out of the mold - pull to early and the part could end up being stretched - pull too late and it could be too hard to pull out or end up being damaged.
16. The mold has hoops attached - a slight change in the angle of the hoops affects the quality of the pull.
17. And this a hand freshly pulled from the mold - we then need to cut off the flash which is the funnel attached to it.
18. Together with the boss of mold maker Kamijo who have won awards for the quality of their molds.
19. This has nothing to do with soft vinyl but wanted to show you how we made the frame prototypes at one stage - we would use 3D printouts and copy them using silicone molds.
20. Some resin frame parts ready to be cut off the runners.
Continuing from the Design & Mold Preparation section, we are ready to make the molds used for the injection molding for the frame - the most complex thing I've ever worked on ><
Injection Mold Preparation
1. I chose to work with a Japanese company called Muto based in Tokyo - this is our first meeting discussing part layouts, issues and wotnot. The process of making an injection mold is complex and we had to modify many parts to avoid warpage, wrinkling etc.
2. Once we are ready to make the molds, I'm off to inspect and oversee the making of the molds at Muto's Shinjo factory in the Yamagata prefecture.
3. Injection molds are huge! They are also expensive too >< Never have I received an invoice for 160,000 USD before ^^; But after making the mold, I understand why it costs so much - you are not just paying for 2 pieces of metal but paying for the knowhow involved into placement of the parts in the mold.
4. Our mold taking shape - the carving process takes a few weeks.
5. The holes you see in the mold are for ejector pins which push the part out of the mold after the molding process. For this reason many products have little circles which are usually placed in not-so-visible areas.
6. We make the mold in pieces so that its easy to change parts in the future. Parts which are tube shaped that contain a shaft need to be put at the side of the mold and are called "Slide" because an extra mold part is slid in from the side.
7. Our injection mold is complete! Now I need to order the pellets.
8. Before ordering the pellets, I need to choose the color. I send off a sample of the outer shell and get back a set of color plates which have been made especially to match my requirements.
9. For the spine, I use a product called JETON which is a joint that already exists on the market and are used as a frame for dolls and plushies. I use those color plates to order some JETON joints in the same color.
10. Color matching is a difficult process as colors looks different in varying lighting conditions.
11. My pellets have come back from mixing and have been placed in the injection molding machine. Here they are heated to high temperatures and injected into the mold which has also been heated up to receive the material.
12. Once the material has been injected into the mold, the mold opens up and the parts are pushed out by the ejector pins.
13. The size of each part on the runner changes depending on the values used during the injection molding process which include things like temperature, pressure, speed and so on.
14. So even though we have the mold made to spec, we then need to tweak values over the next few months to make sure that all frame parts fit together nicely.
15. We do thousands of tests which unfortunately does involve wastage but is all part of the process of making all the parts fit perfectly. All test parts are recycled according to Japanese rules and regulations.
16. To see if the parts fit together properly, we need to assemble several hundred frames over a period of a few months.
17. We use grease on all joints to ensure smooth but rigid movement. Initially from time to time the grease may seep out to the surface of the wrist, ankle or elbow joint - if that happens then just blob it with some tissue.
18. Its not just the assembly of the frame we need to do - we also need to put the frame in the outer shell to see if everything fits together properly. Through this process we had to change a few of the outer shell molds.
19. The very first frame batch to come out of the mold is known as T1. Everytime we make a change to the frame we increment that number. We finalized the frame at T7.
20. Mirai Frame is made from POM (Polyoxymethylene) which is recognized for its high strength, hardness and rigidity.
I do plan to sell the frame standalone which is why I designed some hands and a head for it - the hands and head only come with the standalone frame.
Face & Eye Development
A large proportion of the entire production process is spent on making sure the face looks cute!
1. The face design is based on an illustration of Mirai Suenaga by Japanese illustrator Iizuki Tasuku-sensei.
2. The most important part of the face are the eyes so I wanted them to be something really special. Slight changes in gradient, highlight position and color give a totally different look and feel.
3. The eye design is made in Photoshop.
4. Its important to see how the different variations look so we print all the pupils out on photographic paper and cut each pupil out.
5. A mold needs to be prepared and we do that using silicone.
6. A hardening agent being poured into the silicone.
7. Clear resin is poured into the silicone mold and the pupils are placed on the resin face down. We then pour in white resin to finish off the process.
8. We repeatedly make prototypes until I'm happy with the look and feel.
9. A slight change in color of the eyes affect the entire look and feel of the face.
10. Now we take a look at how the faces are painted. Initially we make a master prototype - for this I call on the talents of Ronronshuka-san.
11. I have several faces painted in slightly different variations and choose one to modify.
12. For sending instructions regarding all aspects of doll production, I use monosnap and Fireworks.
13. Once I have a head that I am completely happy with, we need to make paint masks. This is done using a process called electroplating where the head is plated with copper to form a mask - the mask is then etched with the same design as the face.
14. The number of face masks depends on the number of colors needed.
15. The mask is placed on the head like so and sprayed. The mask means that we can paint the faces quicker but is still a very manual job and not printed by machines like figures.
16. Before we send off the heads to be painted, we need to cut out the eye holes and the flash from the top of the head. The eye holes then need to be sanded down on the inside to make sure they conform to the contour of the eyes.
17. Some of the Mirai heads in the process of being spray painted. We actually also paint the inside of the eye sockets too. This is all done in the Katsushika ward in Tokyo.
18. When the painted heads come back, I need to scrutinize and check them. If paintwork is slightly off then I will send them back where they will be wiped down with thinner and painted again. I do keep some for production or display purposes though.
19. The eyes need to be placed into the head and we do that by using a load of Blu-tac. We use Blu-tac which makes it easy for you to change the eyes - we will be releasing our own brand of doll eyes in the future. You can also use third party eyes too and should choose ones which are 22mm wide. At this stage we also put in the magnet used to hold Mirai's hair clip in place.
The eyes are placed in a way so that they ever so slightly look inwards as I think she looks cuter that way ^^; If you don't like cross eye girls then you can always adjust the eyes yourself though.
20. Face complete and I think she looks really cute!
Wig & Hairclip Development
Being a fashion doll, Mirai comes with a removable wig so that you can use our brand of wigs (which we are developing now) or third party wigs. Mirai has a small head so the wig circumference you should be looking for is 21cm.
1. To mass produce wigs I first need a prototype - I find a third party wig which is styled to my liking - I then take photos of it and use the usual monosnapping to provide instructions to the vendor who makes the wigs.
2. Korea has a large established resin doll industry with many vendors that create high quality wigs and apparel. I learned Korean together with Japanese when I was at university but never thought that being able to speak Korean would become such an essential part of our business ^^
Anyway, here are some synthetic fibers being prepared for stitching.
3. The synthetic fiber is then stitched on a thin ribbon.
4. The ribbons are then stitched to a head cap.
5. Once the headcap is ready, all the synthetic fibers are standing up which makes our Mirai-chan look like a mad woman - the hair is styled using hot steam which shoots out from this black tube. Once thats done, Mirai has her braids hand pleated.
6. Once a sample is ready, I would provide feedback on what I want to change - this process is repeated about 5 times until I'm happy ^^;
7. I chose to use heat resistant synthetic fibers which means you can even style her hair using one of those hot iron hair curlers.
8. Next up is the development of the hairclip. I left this until the last because I could not think if a good idea to affix the clip to Mirai's head without ruffling the hair too much.
9. Once I have decided on a size for the clip, I make it in 3D software.
10. I then print a version using our 3D printer to check the size.
11. The size was fine so the next step is to make the hair clip in the same material as the final product. I do this by sending data off to Protomold.
12. I initially thought I could attach a clip like this but it was a pain fixing it to the side of the head and there was a risk of scratching the side of the face.
13. We came up with the idea of using strong magnets instead so we modified the data and used Protomold again to do the mass production.
14. And here is the final product with magnet fixed in place.
15. Mirai-chan and her iconic hair clip - it can fall off easily so I would advise that you remove the clip when you are out n about and attach it just before you take photos.
16. The magnet is strong enough for you to attach the clip to the side of the head through her beanie.
17. The removable wig means that you get to customize and make your very own Mirai ^^
18. At the moment we are developing a wide range of wigs.
19. The new brand of wigs will be called "Wiggly Wigs."
20. I was joking about the "Wiggly Wig" naming. This is Mirai with shoulder length hair which I really like!
Apparel & Shoe Development
All apparel items are designed by myself with the aid of some talented doll seamstresses - in particular Puppy Dolls and Murasaki.me who are both official Smart Doll Tailors. If you need anything original made for your Smart Doll then contact either or both!
1. This is the set of casual clothes that Mirai comes with - this is a photo of the actual product and not of prototypes.
2. The most challenging thing about making the apparel items was color and material - one of the reasons is because they are not always available and come and go with seasons. Here I am hunting for material at Tomato in Tokyo.
3. Working on T-shirt tweaks. The T-shirt was designed together with Murasaki.me who also sells the same design for various dolls.
4. Mirai-chan came with me to Seoul to oversee some of the production.
5. I think you are really going to like the jeans - I designed them to be bell bottomed and they make Mirai look great! PuppyDolls helped out with the prototypes.
6. The jeans are given a worn look and feel - here they are being hung up to dry after bleaching.
7. Mirai ready to head out in her casual gear! Ah - the belt in that photo is not included ^^ I thought a belt would look nice but it makes the T-shirt look short compared to the length of the legs so I removed it.
8. For the development of the shoes we also use the aid of 3D prototyping technologies. To make shoes we need a "Last" which is the mold in the shape of a foot - we make this in 3D software.
9. The Last printed on our 3D printer.
10. The Lasts sanded down after a lick of primer.
11. Here are the final Lasts ready to be duplicated - for this we use the services of RC Berg.
12. RC Berg take my original prototype and duplicate it in silicone - this enables us to make loads of shoes - at the moment our capacity is 400 pairs a month but are in the process of ramping up.
13. Our shoes are made using the same processes as making human shoes - I'm extremely pleased with the quality.
14. I manage production of the shoes in Malaysia at studios of my fathers comrades.
15. For folks who are not familiar, my father makes shoes and goes about by the name of Datuk Jimmy Choo. When I was younger I also made shoes in his studio for folks like the late Lady Diana.
While we didn't end up working together on human sized shoes - we did eventually but on smaller sized shoes - for dolls ^^
16. I'm also working on a new brand of shoes for dolls - here are samples and a taster of what's to come.
17. I really need to hire somebody full time to manage all the apparel design and production but for the meantime I'm doing everything myself. Here I'm working on the Summer Uniform which has been a challenge as its based on the design of an illustration that has Anime physics ^^;
18. Some samples of the Summer Uniform.
19. The orange shimapan underwear that comes with the Summer Uniform.
20. Mirai with her Summer Uniform - the bust attached here is Large but I will be first releasing the uniform for the Small bust.
Assembly and Shipping
And there is more ^^;
1. All assembly and shipping is done at my house and when the injection molded frames arrive they do so in huge boxes that take up the whole of the first floor ><
2. This is what it looks like inside the box - 1 frame is made up of two sets of runners.
3. Each set of frames need to be inspected for blemishes.
4. The boxes take up way too much space so we need to reduce their mass by bagging all the frame parts in separate bags. We do this using trays from IKEA that we call Sorting Trays.
5. We break the pieces into the tray by hand and cut off the gates during assembly.
6. Once the frame parts are bagged they take up much less space and the production line has become a wee bit more efficient.
7. Next up is assembly of the frame - folks who build Gundam may like this task. The frame does use screws for extra strength around the large joints but most of it is snap fit.
The assembly process involves greasing various parts, snipping the gates and in cases sanding down gate marks too.
8. Here you can see that some of the parts are shiny and others are not - I got the injection mold sand blasted for areas that I wanted to be matte which are the wrist, elbow and ankle joints - the reason is so that they can match the soft vinyl shell as much as possible which is also matte.
9. And once the frame is assembled we stick it back in the same bag.
10. Now we look at preparation of the soft vinyl - here are some parts back from the factory in Katsushika Ward.
11. The first thing we need to do is to check the parts. I mentioned air pockets in one of the sections above - I reject parts which have large air pockets but approve parts which may have extremely small ones in areas which are not so n