Have you always wanted to leave your mark on a wall but were too self-conscious of your non-existent graffiti skills? The SprayPrinter is a clip-on accessory that turns cans of spray paint into handheld dot matrix printers that can perfectly reproduce almost any design.
The hardware is actually made of two key components: the SprayPrinter can attachment that controls the nozzle, releasing tiny blasts of paint to build up an image pixel by pixel, and a smartphone that converts and sends images to the SprayPrinter, but also uses its camera to track the position of the device of all times so it knows exactly when to tell it to release the dots of paint.
It’s a cruder way to keep track of where and how the SprayPrinter is being moved, and the approach will almost certainly mean the person holding the can won’t be able to move too fast to ensure the best results. But it’s also much cheaper than requiring a custom sensor array to track positioning.
And a cheaper approach is particularly important here because while this isn’t the first time someone has turned cans of spray paint into giant dot-matrix printers, it is the first time that someone is trying to commercialise the technology and put in the hands of aspiring (but untalented) graffiti artists.
The creators of the SprayPrinter are hoping to launch an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign next month to sell the device to the public. Pricing hasn’t been revealed yet; in fact, it looks like the SprayPrinter hardware is still being perfected and refined. But the hardware will also come with access to an online community where designs can be shared, bought, and sold. If it’s a success, it could mean that any graffiti artist could potentially become the next Banksy — at least after downloading his designs.
[SprayPrinter via designboom]