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What do you get when you combine a vacuum robot and a 3D printer?

Answer: A mobile 3D printer.

Closeup of a 3D printer creating a small blue replica of the Eiffel Tower.
One of the ways to make 3D printing more accessible is being able to print something right where you need it. As in, on the exact spot on the floor. That’s why Daniel Campos Zamora at the University of Washington added a 3D printer to a robotic vacuum cleaner.

Called MobiPrint, Campos Zamora’s device is a Prusa Mini+ 3D printer attached to a Roborock S5 vacuum. MobiPrint autonomously maps its environment via open source software, so the user can tell it exactly where to go print something. It can print objects up to 180mm by 180mm by 65mm on carpet, hardwood or vinyl.

“One of the things that really inspired this project was looking at the tactile surface indicators that help blind and low-vision users find their way around a space,” Campos Zamora said. MobiPrint can only print while stationary right now, but Campos Zamora envisions improving it to be able to print while moving, or to follow someone and print in their path.