Facadeprinter: Robotic Paintball Printer

Martin Fussenegger and Michael Haas, have invented a computer controlled  air pressure bubble ink  jet print system that reproduces graphics on an architectural scale, from up to 20 feet or 5 meters distant.

"The facadeprinter is a simple, software controlled robot. It consists of a two-axis turntable and a print head which is powered by compressed air. The printer shoots the picture dot by dot from a remote distance on a selected surface. Particularly inaccessible, format-less and uneven surfaces can be printed on. For example a building can be printed from the street, without having a complex scaffolding. The process of printing has a certain entertainment value. Moreover the facadeprinter is a comparatively cheap large-scale printing technology. Therefore it is an media and also a technical innovation. This new media is an unconventional tool for large-scale communication."

The time lapse video here, "three stones", documents a day of paint balling graphics on various inter urban facades in Germany. The inventors are now marketing their device for wide spread commercial viral applications, as well as promoting the benefits of its use in disaster relief situations. Visit their website to learn more.