Portable Printer Array Uses Nanobots to Print

Potentially a boon for vandalizers and publishers alike.

Daniel Dobrogorsky wants to turn printing into a microscopic affair, with his RO concept. The RO is a system of four base stations that are arranged according to the size of the print medium. The units represent the CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) colors normally used for printing.

Upon activation, the four stations project the desired output on the print surface with laser beams. At the same time, "at least 100 microbots" stream out from the devices and position themselves to start the actual printing. Dobrogorsky says that the RO can print on practically any surface, at practically any size. Like with normal printing, mixing the CMYK inks produces a wide variety of colors.

What's not clear is how the nanobots actually "paint" the print surface. Featuring technology clearly beyond what's available, it looks like the RO will stay on the drawing board for the time being.