Zuta’s mini robot printer wanders around your desk, printing as it goes

A printer? BORING
Wait a sec. First, this one’s a robot, and second, printers are one area ripe for “disruption”. In general, they’re still ugly, bulky things that are hard to move around and, when not in use, sit on your desk gathering dust and looking ugly.

Wait… did you say “robot”?
Yes, Israeli company Zuta have come up with a novel idea: a tiny, almost pocket-sized printer that moves itself over a sheet of paper via two pairs of wheels. A robot, in other words.

How does it work?
There’s an inkjet printer head inside, and as the robot rolls over your crisp piece of A4 this touches down where necessary to print. Documents can be loaded direct (and wirelessly) from smartphones, tablets and laptops and a USB connection is used to top up the battery, which is good for around an hour of use per charge. One print cartridge is able to provide around 1,000 pages.

There must be limitations?
Yes. For one thing, it takes over a minute to print a page (that’s about 10 times slower than a desktop printer). It only supports a maximum resolution of 92 x 192 dpi. And, of course, you’ll need a totally flat surface to print on. Any kinks and bumps are likely to muck up your print job.

You said it was a Kickstarter project?
Yes, Zuta is seeking US$400,000 in funding, and at the time of writing the total pledged has nudged just above $20,000. But there’s plenty of time left, and early birds who back to the tune of $180 (£110) or more will receive a printer – but most likely not until January of next year.

Oh, and it’ll come in black or white finishes.

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