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Doll making - considerations and suggestions please

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DenaMeier
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Doll making - considerations and suggestions please

Post by DenaMeier »

I have many ideas that are the result of thinking about what I have read here. So some ideas are based on what others have posted.
This may result in my making my own doll - possibly for becoming a doll maker.

If I do this:
1. A significant investment in capital equipment will be made. Likely need to work in TPE at some point.
2. A significant investment of time needed.
3. Taking a risk on ideas, some not proven yet.
I am mostly retired - and somehow if I made this work out, it could be some money coming in. The equipment needed could be re-purposed for making other things that could be sold too.

Ideas:
Skeleton - ways to make it bend and flex, more realistic - like real humans - especially the hips and spine.
Joints - adding variable stiffness / locking / compliance - Help doll stand and hold poses, yet be movable as desired.
Joints - possible compliant power assist - could help with weight. The real person has ability to assist with their weight. Maybe a compliant assist that acts in ways to make it seem they are lighter. Also in ways to be less like a dead weight.
Ability to stand and standing poses would be nice.
Breasts - ways to make them move, FLOW, bounce, jiggle, and be soft like the real thing - great for the larger sizes.
The better articulation move-ability of the skeleton - spine, hips, could mean more realistic placement of vagina and anus.
Variable softness depending on location - not all places are super soft. Some are harder for a good reason. Feet have soles. Fingers tend to be harder than breasts and butts. Fingers being harder could help with pokes. Harder soles on feet could help with pokes. If TPE, there are different formulations with different strength vs softness. Maybe more than one skin layer too.
The holes could be more than one layer, with stretchable reinforcing to help with tears.
It would be nice to have eyes that blink and appear alive and are pose-able. Eyelids that are pose-able.
It would be nice to have a realistic body temperature. Actually when robotics becomes more feasible, this would be a way to cool the robotic mechanisms inside.
Ways to reduce or mitigate the weight would be nice. High tech aluminum alloys might be an answer for the inner structure / armature.
Eventually faces that can change expression / seem alive.
Other maybes: heartbeat, pulse, breathing ???

Its a huge list. And unknown what may come of this. But I just feel that we are on the cusp of a extreme revolution is capabilities.
One wild card is NANO TECHNOLOGY. Look it up - it is very, very game changing, and the future.

Already, in electronics, extremely small technology is available. In materials, things that may become much better muscles, etc.

I may be totally crazy and insane for pursuing this. For contemplating the future, and trying to bring it ON.
And I don't have any infinite pockets or billionaires backing me. What I do have is vision, imagination, the need to do something interesting and FUN. I have my own property, plenty of acres, a lot of space, space for a facility / lab / shop / industrial space if it was needed.

This may take a huge amount of time - I am ok with that. Something to do that could be fun. And money, and I may not pull it off for the reason of money. Backers could be nice - but how to do this? For there are many caveats, and how to produce in a timely fashion for them???? Remember, a lot of the is R & D.
Or maybe become a maker of what could be done with my current means and sell that to finance the future developments, i.e. bootstrap method.

And thoughts, call me crazy, suggestions, ideas, are welcome. May become a doll manufacturer. Maybe.
Research into this and robotics sounds like fun.
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." - Clarke's Third Law
love just is - it can manifest from a completely surprising source. Imagination is key.
Love is in every bit of reality - be ready for when our creations can express and flow that love - myself

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hollows+fentiman
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Re: Doll making - considerations and suggestions please

Post by hollows+fentiman »

Good luck my friend!

One problem in starting out is the enormous expense of a one-off both in time and money! The ideas are sound but putting them into practice is a different matter!

I'm sure you'll get a few comments/advice but it's a hard road to success on your own!

Cheers, Hollows.
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Re: Doll making - considerations and suggestions please

Post by LDF »

My suggestion would be to use a 3D printer to fabricate your own dolls.
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DenaMeier
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Re: Doll making - considerations and suggestions please

Post by DenaMeier »

Thank you.

I have thought to get into 3D modelling, become good at that, and get a good large 3D printer.
This has many uses for inventing.
And can make the pieces of a model for casting a doll.
I have looked at others efforts to do just that.

As for inventing. I think improving the skeleton and the weight of the doll, and/or power joint assist (actually a applied force vector amplifier) might be an invention.

Any comments and suggestions are welcome. I am not adverse to at first doing simple doll designs, and casting in easy materials - hopefully I might bootstrap my way into this.

I have read and will continue to look for postings of those making dolls this way. They have good ideas, and comments about materials and processes.
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." - Clarke's Third Law
love just is - it can manifest from a completely surprising source. Imagination is key.
Love is in every bit of reality - be ready for when our creations can express and flow that love - myself

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DenaMeier
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Re: Doll making - considerations and suggestions please

Post by DenaMeier »

Another thought about power assist is gravity compensation - i.e. make the system sense and know the direction gravity is pulling, and partially counterbalance that. That may be better. As it makes the apparent weight seem less.
I feel this is rather realistic, as I feel that in real persons, the brain stem, may be actually doing this gravity compensation for us, without us being aware that is going on. There is evidence of a modular, division of labor approach here I think. We think the action to move, and we move, without thinking all the control details.

No lack of ideas to experiment with here. There are many shortcomings to the current doll technology.
Still the point may be moot if the dead weight of the doll could be lessened considerably.
But yet, I did want to experiment with robotics too.
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." - Clarke's Third Law
love just is - it can manifest from a completely surprising source. Imagination is key.
Love is in every bit of reality - be ready for when our creations can express and flow that love - myself

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Re: Doll making - considerations and suggestions please

Post by LDF »

https://www.dollforum.com/forum/viewtop ... 14&t=90406

It's about the 3D printed soft robotic actuator. It's made from PDMS, ethanol, and a heating element..

As for a skeleton, might I suggest 3D printing a phosphate cement skeleton.
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Re: Doll making - considerations and suggestions please

Post by timetraveler1 »

tpe is poured using hot mold . i think if a person could use a skeleton metal frame , have a high temp fiber carbon inner body shell that can take the hot mold tpe mold , a thinner tpe mold could be made to make the full size dolls a lot lighter . weight is one of the biggest drawbacks of some full size dolls. of all doll makers. i was even thinking if a fiber carbon skeleton frame high temp could be used to. anyway just some idea's i have raised to others before. don't know if its do able or not. just my 2 cents worth.

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Re: Doll making - considerations and suggestions please

Post by rubherkitty »

I would suggest trying to make a simple silicone doll first to get some experience and make a name for yourself.
Figure $4-6K for specific tools and materials to produce your first doll. This is not factoring in a shop building to make dolls and assuming you already have a lot of basic fabrication tools.

Forget TPE for now. That's on a light industrial scale that requires vats of dangerous vapored, hot liquefied rubber. You can do silicone in your kitchen. 2 parts mixed and poured cold.

I'm going to make my doll model from a mannequin. Possibly a mix of several for the parts I like best.
This will require some fiberglass and bondo work.
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