Even with the advent of 3D printers, making specific alterations to rooms and indoor spaces can still be quite challenging. Whether it is fixing a footrest beneath a desk or using handheld 3D printers - they often require effort and expertise. However, a notable change in this narrative has been brought upon by researchers from the University of Washington who have created MobiPrint, a mobile 3D printer that autonomously measures and manipulates room space.
MobiPrint is not just a 3D printer, it’s an advanced modification of a consumer vacuum robot that can create a detailed map of a room using LiDAR technology. Once the indoor space has been mapped out, the user can select an object from the MobiPrint library or upload a design. This model can then be scaled, positioned, and printed directly onto the floor of the chosen indoor space. MobiPrint's remarkable accuracy allows it to add a range of objects to a room, from accessibility features and home customizations to artistic additions.
This revolution in 3D printing technology promises to lower the barriers to digital fabrication. As put forward by Daniel Campos Zamora, a doctoral student in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, and a member of the team behind MobiPrint, “Now we're asking: How can we push (digital fabrication) further and further into the world, and lower the barriers for people to use it? How can we change the built environment and tailor spaces for people's specific needs – for accessibility, for taste?”
MobiPrint offers great potential, particularly in the field of accessibility. This includes creating tactile markers for blind and low-vision people, providing information such as text telling conference attendees where to go, or even alerting about dangers such as staircases or uneven flooring transitions. Beyond that, a user could also create personalized objects like small art pieces, up to three inches tall.
Currently, MobiPrint uses a common bioplastic in 3D printing, PLA, for its creations. However, researchers are planning for MobiPrint to have the ability to remove objects it has printed and potentially recycle the plastic. These innovations could extend to printing on other surfaces such as tabletops or walls, in other environments like outdoors, and even with other materials such as concrete.
The future of MobiPrint appears promising and arguably, pivotal in the growth of 3D printing technology. Professor Jon E. Froehlich noted “It would be so great if in the future we could just send MobiPrint down the street and have it build a ramp, even if it was working just for a short period of time. That just shows you how reconfigurable environments can be.”
With a futuristic vision of improving accessibility and digitizing fabrication, MobiPrint is proving to be a revolutionary breakthrough in the 3D printing world. The world of digital fabrication waits eagerly for its future developments.
Disclaimer: The above article was written with the assistance of AI. The original sources can be found on ScienceDaily.
