Posted by
michael
on from the color-by-numbers dept.
mszeto writes "For all those gadget lovers out there, here is a neat one. It's the worlds smallest printer[ed. note: no it isn't], and is Bluetooth enabled. Rub it over the page to print! Here are some more articlesabout it:"
What's really be cool...
by
AtariDatacenter
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
Is if this was adapted into a tattoo gun. Just wave it over the skin, and have a permanent (or temporary might be more marketable) tattoo placed on the body. Anything you can dream up or download could be printed onto the skin.
This sounds really bad. In a good kinda way.
Re:What's really be cool...
by
darkov
·
· Score: 5, Funny
Yeah, it would be cool until you discovered you had tattooed "Attempt to dereference a null pointer at 0x0F6F75E4" on yourself.
..When I used to work for the Chemistry Department here at the local U, I got to listen in on alot of the conversations the chem geeks had about emerging technologies. One of them was a new form of electron microscopy..err, well maybe not *electron* microscopy specifically, but, a device for visualizing atomic-scale structures, and "printing" them.
The "head" of this thing (a nanoprinter?) used the vibrations of nearby atoms to move...The vibrations were tracked by a controller of some sort, and if the head was bouncing around at just the right angle, they'd "print" an atom onto a surface. I was told this was how they made those famous pictures where individual atoms could be precisely lined up on a surface to show letters or numbers.. I remember IBM doing this sort of thing with Xenon atoms back in the late 80's or early 90's.
So, nyah. WOrld's smallest printer my ass!:) I've seen atomic printers, baby!
I've been using an item smaller than this printer to reproduce pictures on paper for years. I like to call it the Pen(TM).
I'm looking on getting a patent on the technology.
It can also use random movement technology to create the wonderful Squiggle(TM) effect.
I still have my doubts...
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 5, Funny
I bet I could still manage a paper jam.
Is there a limitation on speed?
by
gotr00t
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· Score: 5, Interesting
If the movement is so "random", then I just have one question after visiting the site and witnessing their really "non-technical" movie about how it "works". It looks like the animated dude's arm is moving in random directions, to be expected, but he just literally zips that thing right across the paper, and it didn't smear or cause streaks on the page.
Frankly, I find it hard to believe that on this system, you can move it THAT fast. There MUST be some limitations to how fast you can move it, as the print heads can't possibly respond soooo quickily.
Re:Is there a limitation on speed?
by
Greger47
·
· Score: 5, Informative
I've actually played with one of these printers at an exhibition in Sweden over a year and a half ago.
You could swipe it around in about the same speed as you would an ordinary mouse. To fast and the output got lighter bacause of increased distance between the dots (it was possible to go back and "fill in" color to get dark output again).
The quality of the output was somewhere bewteen a matrix printer and an inkjet.
It was also a tad large, maby 3 times the volume of a regular mouse.
Ofcourse I expect them to have improved it since then, and if thay arn't going to introduce it on the market untill 2005 I guess it comes with a built in coffe machine by then...
Killer app for bluetooth?
by
Tetravus
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· Score: 5, Interesting
What do you guys think? This looks like the first killer app for bluetooth to me.
Imagine being able to print hardcopy contracts or directions on demand... though, the flexibility of the device to deal with different paper surfaces will be crucial to its widespread adoption.
~Tetravus
cool idea
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 5, Funny
Just take one of those mini RC cars, add an ink jet and a blue tooth interface and you could have a printer the size of matchbook.
It would be slow, but you could just set a piece of paper on a flat surface and have your laptop/pda "drive" the printer over the paper squirting out ink where needed.
Plus. if you needed a faster printer, imagine a beow... never mind
Re:How does it work?
by
pompousjerk
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· Score: 5, Insightful
"I can't figure it out." "[Wave] something the size of a mouse and the print magically appears" "How in the world can it know where [to] print?" "I WANT ONE!...I think [this] company is going to make zillions."
Gentlemen, I believe that this post pretty much encapsulates all of consumerism in those phrases. No matter how much doubt there is, "OMG, that's so spiff!" often takes over.
Like those shitty products on infomercials that you know won't do anything worthwhile, but look damn spiffy up on the screen...
Impressive.
Whipped Cream and Other Delights.
by
teamhasnoi
·
· Score: 5, Funny
Combine this with a pda bacode scanner and you can print new barcodes at Walmart on the fly. Scan the crap model, put a blank label on the nice one,(still not illegal??) then print your new barcode. (ILLEGAL)
Good way to pick up chicks - wave your hand with the printer concealed in it over a bar napkin and hand her your magically appearing phone number and a dirty limerick (ok, no limerick)
Label everything you own - roomies will no longer be able to claim the beer/CD/toliet paper wasn't yours.
Print up fake parking tickets for random cars.
This would rock for labeling CDRs - I might actually do it with this thing.
Add mystery "ingredients" to grocery store items. "What the hell is lead sucrose doing in these hot dogs?"
Graffiti made easy! Free Mumia, Impeach Bush, Repeal the 1st Amendment - easy as a wave of your hand! No incriminating paint can or marker!
Print barcodes on unsuspecting foreheads - "Hold on, I think there's a bee in your hair..." - Just for fun. For now......
Add inappropriate menu items at your favorite resturant. "Baby Seal and Carrots?!! WAITER!!!"
Fake classifieds - "Dude, what's this about you selling the state's largest used children's undies collection? Your name, phone number and everything!!"
Hide small notes on the bathroom walls in strategic places - "If you can read this, you're poopin'"
Quick name tags for people - don't worry, it'll wash off!
Frankly, this thing is cool and sounds like fun - it may even be useful for labeling things, or handing out info. Of course, it will probably be priced too high for
most people who would actually use it. It will probably be good for manufacturing, labeling parts and other irregular things.
Slashdot Mirror
Is if this was adapted into a tattoo gun. Just wave it over the skin, and have a permanent (or temporary might be more marketable) tattoo placed on the body. Anything you can dream up or download could be printed onto the skin.
This sounds really bad.
In a good kinda way.
The "head" of this thing (a nanoprinter?) used the vibrations of nearby atoms to move...The vibrations were tracked by a controller of some sort, and if the head was bouncing around at just the right angle, they'd "print" an atom onto a surface. I was told this was how they made those famous pictures where individual atoms could be precisely lined up on a surface to show letters or numbers.. I remember IBM doing this sort of thing with Xenon atoms back in the late 80's or early 90's.
So, nyah. WOrld's smallest printer my ass!
Bowie J. Poag
I bet I could still manage a paper jam.
Frankly, I find it hard to believe that on this system, you can move it THAT fast. There MUST be some limitations to how fast you can move it, as the print heads can't possibly respond soooo quickily.
What do you guys think? This looks like the first killer app for bluetooth to me.
Imagine being able to print hardcopy contracts or directions on demand... though, the flexibility of the device to deal with different paper surfaces will be crucial to its widespread adoption.
~Tetravus
Just take one of those mini RC cars, add an ink jet and a blue tooth interface and you could have a printer the size of matchbook.
It would be slow, but you could just set a piece of paper on a flat surface and have your laptop/pda "drive" the printer over the paper squirting out ink where needed.
Plus. if you needed a faster printer, imagine a beow... never mind
"I can't figure it out."
"[Wave] something the size of a mouse and the print magically appears"
"How in the world can it know where [to] print?"
"I WANT ONE!...I think [this] company is going to make zillions."
Gentlemen, I believe that this post pretty much encapsulates all of consumerism in those phrases. No matter how much doubt there is, "OMG, that's so spiff!" often takes over.
Like those shitty products on infomercials that you know won't do anything worthwhile, but look damn spiffy up on the screen...
Impressive.
Good way to pick up chicks - wave your hand with the printer concealed in it over a bar napkin and hand her your magically appearing phone number and a dirty limerick (ok, no limerick)
Label everything you own - roomies will no longer be able to claim the beer/CD/toliet paper wasn't yours.
Print up fake parking tickets for random cars.
This would rock for labeling CDRs - I might actually do it with this thing.
Add mystery "ingredients" to grocery store items. "What the hell is lead sucrose doing in these hot dogs?"
Graffiti made easy! Free Mumia, Impeach Bush, Repeal the 1st Amendment - easy as a wave of your hand! No incriminating paint can or marker!
Print barcodes on unsuspecting foreheads - "Hold on, I think there's a bee in your hair..." - Just for fun. For now......
Add inappropriate menu items at your favorite resturant. "Baby Seal and Carrots?!! WAITER!!!"
Fake classifieds - "Dude, what's this about you selling the state's largest used children's undies collection? Your name, phone number and everything!!"
Hide small notes on the bathroom walls in strategic places - "If you can read this, you're poopin'"
Quick name tags for people - don't worry, it'll wash off! Frankly, this thing is cool and sounds like fun - it may even be useful for labeling things, or handing out info. Of course, it will probably be priced too high for most people who would actually use it. It will probably be good for manufacturing, labeling parts and other irregular things.
Just remember, you read it on K5.