The Mini Mobile raised over $435,000 (€314,215) on Kickstarter.
A technical view of Mini Mobile
The machine, which The Recycler previously reported on, has been developed by Zuta Labs, who wanted to “provide users with a means of printing on the go”, with the device able to print on “any size of paper” utilising robotics to travel around on the paper.
The printer, which uses “an inkjet for the printing”, uses a “high-resolution optical sensor” commonly used in mice and a “rechargeable battery with an on/off switch” to run for one hour on a full charge, and operates through an “omni-wheel system” reaching print speeds of 1.2 ppm at a resolution of 96 x 192 dpi.
Zuta Labs was trying to raise money for the project to fund the “custom-made parts […] to build the final prototype and for then going into production”; and Business Ghana reported that Zuta Labs is proceeding with the project after raising over $435,000 on Kickstarter.
Zuta Lab’s Tuvia Elbaum commented: “We can now order smaller and stronger engines to make it move faster. The resolution is very low because we are using an old cartridge, but we are talking to several manufacturers to use smarter and newer versions of smaller cartridges. Way further along the roadmap we want a colour version and we want it to print on different surfaces – people have asked for tiles, T-shirts and walls, which would require different types of ink.”
Elbaum added that the Mini Mobile would probably cost around $240 (€173) when it goes on public sale, which is set to be in 2015.