PrintBot gets creative with Talcum powder

Looking to get your message (way) out there, but don't exactly have the means to rig up, say, a van-sized StreetWriter? Fret not, as a clever DIY'er has managed to craft a smallish printer that can blast largish text onto nearly any surface. By utilizing an iRobot Create, an old dot-matrix printer, an eBox 2300 x86 PC, a counterweight and a good bit of Talcum powder, you too can be expressing yourself on football fields, sidewalks or street corners in no time. Best of all, you can control the thing from your high-rise thanks to the built-in wireless capabilities, but you may want to strap some weaponry on it if you really plan on sending your own PrintBot out on a solo mission.

[Satish @ Dec 23rd 2007 9:55AM]

Amazing to see some one's so creative...

[Flashpoint @ Dec 23rd 2007 11:16AM]

3 n s l @ v 3 h u m @ n 1 t y . . .

[r0lliSl1fe @ Dec 23rd 2007 11:12PM]

Funny you should mention the StreetWriter project...too bad I can't comment on that old article because I can shine some light on the situation. The lead picture which does indeed read "NO MORE PRISONS" was painted on the rear lawn of the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art in Ridgefield, CT...while I watched! The van's interior was a fun mess!

It was a demonstration commissioned as part of the "Art on the Edge of the Law" series. Cool stuff, there was a moonshine still, almost-complete LSD, and a homemade wooden shotgun inside the museum. Lots more neat stuff, too.

[John @ Dec 23rd 2007 10:20AM]

Well all I have to say is "To Hell with Georgia!" GO JACKETS!!!!

[zabador @ Dec 23rd 2007 12:13PM]

apparently you had to say it three times, three different ways too!

[John @ Dec 23rd 2007 10:17AM]

To Hell with Georgia! GO JACKETS!!!

[John @ Dec 23rd 2007 10:19AM]

GO JACKETS!!! To Hell with Georgia!

[R @ Dec 23rd 2007 10:32AM]

What bowl game is Tech going to this year? I forget.
Oh that's right . . . the "Humanitarian Bowl." Nice.

The Dawgs will be in New Orleans while you bugs are freezing your asses off in Boise. Go Dawgs!

[pwain @ Dec 23rd 2007 10:40AM]

Sorry R, when I decided to go to GT how good the football team was really wasn't on my list of concerns.

Luckily all of my choices in employers could have cared less as well.

But enjoy your dogs, too bad they aren't even SEC champs, you would think they could get at least one thing right?

[R @ Dec 23rd 2007 10:33AM]

Nothing says team spirit like spelling your college's initials in talc. Manly!

[John @ Dec 26th 2007 2:07PM]

I'll enjoy watching Hawaii give UGA a good "Vick"-ing!

[Andrew @ Dec 23rd 2007 10:48AM]

I could see this thing being used at Nurburing.

[Andrew @ Dec 23rd 2007 10:49AM]

Or the Nurburgring.

[Rob @ Dec 23rd 2007 11:05AM]

Someone's been playing with their "powder" candy for too long. They must've thought the razor wasn't fast enough. This should speed up the process quite a bit.

[wes joyce @ Dec 23rd 2007 11:18AM]

haha I was just about to say crack dealers are going to be buying these up!!! "hey what should we write today...snort here" hahhahahahaha

[R @ Dec 23rd 2007 12:43PM]

I think you meant "coke dealers." I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure you don't snort crack.

[jonathan @ Dec 23rd 2007 11:39AM]

I was in the senior design class during the same semester these guys made the first iteration of this. It made my project look horrible, but congratulations guys.

[Andrew @ Dec 23rd 2007 11:59AM]

Does it have to spray talc? You could lay down some mean lines with this thing.

[Josh L @ Dec 23rd 2007 1:29PM]

I seem to recall a story, I believe during the 2004 US Presidential Elections, where a guy rigged up something like this on his bike. He would ride around town (I want to say it was in NYC) and people would send him SMS messages about political issues and they would be written on the sidewalk automatically.

He got fined or arrested for vandalism, as I recall. I'll see if I can find the exact story.

[john @ Dec 23rd 2007 3:10PM]

I don't know if it's the angle of the photography, or what, but it looks like as it moves forward (perhaps just when printing), it has a slight lean to the right (the top of the letters look narrower than the base, slightly, indicating that it turns toward the top of the letters a little on each pass).

Might be related to the fact that the print carriage is off-center. Or the big weigh at that end of the print carriage. Or both.

[John Russell @ Dec 23rd 2007 3:14PM]

I think it's just too bad that they spent all that work to print something in Arial.

[Reader @ Dec 23rd 2007 3:22PM]

I'm a Times New Roman fanboi, I admit it. Frickin office 2007 standard is Courier, I feel so betrayed.

[Damin @ Dec 23rd 2007 3:46PM]

imagine the warchalking possibilities!

[Michael Marquez @ Dec 23rd 2007 4:22PM]

Unfortunately any time someone sees wires and white powder, somebody is going to prison for terrorist charges. How long would Chicago be in a hysteria with this thing going down the street writing "Jihad" out the back?

[gt2378b @ Dec 23rd 2007 9:33PM]

Boston would be the best choice.

[hackaman @ Dec 23rd 2007 4:38PM]

But can it do comic sans????

[Marcus @ Dec 23rd 2007 4:43PM]

So I guess Banksy now has a new way to display his urban art without annoying the local council...

[GrilledTuna @ Dec 23rd 2007 10:52PM]

My initials :)

[cortes.john @ Dec 24th 2007 11:44AM]

I for one, welcome our new talcum wielding overlords.