Lothar Hohmann has created the ultimate product for the vain consumer. No, it is not a magic mirror on the wall but a life-like 3D miniature of oneself. The managing director of Precise Group talks about his latest product: This Is Me (TIM).
q&a
q What exactly is a TIM?
a TIM is the next generation of personalised retail concepts that we have developed and made accessible for customers walking through the malls and seeing our outlets. We have the scanning technology that allows us to scan from head to toe in 360 degrees. We can basically create a full 3D avatar of you.
q You can make a figurine about one tenth the size of a normal human, which usually takes one week and costs Dh500 (US$136) to Dh1,200. How, exactly?
a We collect information using a combination of scanners, beamers and camera equipment. We then use powder, glue and ink. In the end, when you take the figurine out of the powder, it's exactly the person that was scanned in.
q How did you come up with the idea?
a My business concept was always to create a value add in retail innovation. Now 3D has reached a point where it is accessible. We started here in November 2002 with retail outlets in Dubai Duty Free. We used technology that was developed in Germany for scanning people's heads. We would scan their faces and put them inside a crystal block.
q And from there you developed a number of other products, including hand-crafted bobble figures of people's heads and cases to personalise electronic gadgets.
a Yes. I was always on the lookout for ways to develop concepts and ideas on a different level. The bobble heads were also something that already existed. We also have Instant Skin, where we give your gadget or phone a [case] that is designed by you.
q Where will you sell TIMs?
a We have integrated TIM into our existing retail infrastructure. We have outlets at Mall of the Emirates, Deira City Centre, The Atlantis and Dubai Duty Free. Within our outlets, customers can see the TIMs on display and they purchase a voucher for use at our studio.
q This sounds like it will be a difficult retail concept to scale.
a It is easy to scale this concept, because people will be able to purchase a franchise from us and purchase the scanning equipment. We will offer the back-end service and can deliver worldwide. We already have an infrastructure of franchises and retailers in place in the Middle East, Russia and Africa.
q Are there not other people who can steal the technology and use it for their own gain?
a For the current concept, for sure we are unique, but there are people who have used photos and put them on figurines. To scan people from head to toe with the quality of figurine, we are quite unique. But because this technology is available, I'm sure I'm not the only person that has thought about this.
rjones@thenational.ae
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THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
Afro%20salons
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFor%20women%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ESisu%20Hair%20Salon%2C%20Jumeirah%201%2C%20Dubai%3Cbr%3EBoho%20Salon%2C%20Al%20Barsha%20South%2C%20Dubai%3Cbr%3EMoonlight%2C%20Al%20Falah%20Street%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFor%20men%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMK%20Barbershop%2C%20Dar%20Al%20Wasl%20Mall%2C%20Dubai%3Cbr%3ERegency%20Saloon%2C%20Al%20Zahiyah%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3EUptown%20Barbershop%2C%20Al%20Nasseriya%2C%20Sharjah%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
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1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The Voice of Hind Rajab
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Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
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Saturday's results
Brighton 1-1 Leicester City
Everton 1-0 Cardiff City
Manchester United 0-0 Crystal Palace
Watford 0-3 Liverpool
West Ham United 0-4 Manchester City
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Cologne v Hoffenheim (11.30pm)
Saturday
Hertha Berlin v RB Leipzig (6.30pm)
Schalke v Fortuna Dusseldof (6.30pm)
Mainz v Union Berlin (6.30pm)
Paderborn v Augsburg (6.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund (9.30pm)
Sunday
Borussia Monchengladbach v Werder Bremen (4.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Bayer Leverkusen (6.30pm)
SC Freiburg v Eintracht Frankfurt (9on)
