groupon

Groupon created this rendering for the promotion, but SWIGRO said the final statue will be much more lifelike - and one color.

(Matt Pennetti for Groupon)

SWIGRO sent Groupon photos this life-size replica of the Venus de Milo to demonstrate they could do a life-size 3D replica of a person.

Want to buy local this Mother's Day? Consider a 3D-printed, life-size replica of yourself - made in Auburn for the low-price of $30,000.

Auburn company SWIGRO is partnering with Groupon on the promotion. They haven't sold any yet - the deal only launched Thursday - but the deal is real. The $30,000 includes shipping and handling to anywhere in the continental United States and travel and lodging up to $2,500 for the full-body scan required to make the replica.

Groupon contacted SWIGRO with the idea because it knew they had large printers - and SWIGRO sent them a full-scale model of the Venus de Milo statue, and they loved it.

"They said, 'What do you think about printing an entire person?' and we said, 'We've already done it,'" SWIGRO President Renato Gross said. "They got excited and we got started."

It'll probably take a full week just to print - so no, it won't be ready by Mother's Day.

It's not the normal business of the Auburn company - normally they make products for manufacturers in automotive, medical, industrial and aerospace segments.

But Gross has loved the hype - the deal has been on TV and gotten write-ups from the likes of the New York Times, Adweek, Gothamist and more.

"I think it's an interesting opportunity, because it might trigger opportunities for things other than mother's day, for people who want a statue but don't want to sculpt, by hand," Gross.

And the Groupon rendering is just an illustration, Gross said - the real thing would be much more lifelike, and it would only be one color. (There are companies that can paint it or finish it with colors for you).

"With this technology, you can really make a person very accurately," Gross said.