Finally, the technology exists to replicate garden gnomes.
It's called the MakerBot Digitizer, and it allows you to scan 3D objects in the real-world and convert them into digital models. That way, you can modify the objects as needed, or just clone them using a 3D printer.
MakerBot's website uses a little gnome as its prime example. You could, for instance, scan the gnome, add a silly hat, fluff out the gnome's beard and resize the gnome before printing it out again. In addition to replicating figurines, the Digitizer could be useful for creating digital animations from real-world objects.
MarketBot's website for the digitizer shows how the scanner can copy real objects like this garden gnome.
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon