Someone fused a 3D printer and a vacuum robot to create a mobile 3D printer that can print on almost any flat surface — including your floor

MobiPrint 3D printer
(Image credit: MobiPrint)

  • MobiPrint robot autonomously prints designs directly onto floors
  • Developed for accessibility, inspired by tactile markers for navigation
  • Future plans include AI for larger, adaptable, on-site printing

Imagine a 3D printer that can print creations exactly where you need them. That’s the idea behind MobiPrint, a mobile 3D printing robot developed by Daniel Campos Zamora at the University of Washington.

This innovative device autonomously navigates a room, printing designs directly onto floors or other surfaces, offering “a new system that combines robotics and 3D printing that could actually go and print in the real world,” as Campos Zamora told IEEE Spectrum.

Unveiled at the ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology, MobiPrint introduces a new level of flexibility to 3D printing. The system consists of a modified Prusa Mini+ 3D printer mounted on a Roborock S5 vacuum robot, using the open source software Valetudo to map its environment autonomously, allowing users to view and control its path locally without cloud dependency.

Park and print

Capable of printing on carpet, hardwood, and vinyl with dimensions up to 180 x 180 x 65 mm, MobiPrint has already been used to produce objects like pet food bowls, signage, and tactile markers, demonstrating its practical versatility.

The inspiration for MobiPrint came from accessibility needs. Campos Zamora’s lab is focused on creating tools to assist visually impaired users. “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,” he explained to IEEE Spectrum. By printing these indicators directly on-site, MobiPrint could make navigation easier in indoor spaces that frequently change.

Currently, MobiPrint operates in a “park and print” mode, requiring it to stay stationary while printing, limiting its ability to create larger designs. However, Campos Zamora envisions expanding its functionality to print larger, continuous objects, follow users to print accessibility markers along their path, or even use AI to suggest print locations.

Though the robot may seem unconventional, and it certainly looks rudimentary in its current form, the technology has the potential to make 3D printing more accessible and versatile, directly shaping spaces with designs customized to the user’s needs. You can see it in action in the video below.

MobiPrint: A Mobile 3D Printer for Environment Design and Fabrication - YouTube MobiPrint: A Mobile 3D Printer for Environment Design and Fabrication - YouTube
Watch On

You might also like

Wayne Williams
Editor

Wayne Williams is a freelancer writing news for TechRadar Pro. He has been writing about computers, technology, and the web for 30 years. In that time he wrote for most of the UK’s PC magazines, and launched, edited and published a number of them too.

Read more
Anycubic foldable portable 3D printer
Anycubic may launch this gorgeous foldable portable 3D printer any day soon, and I can't wait to try it out
Robot vacuum with legs (left), one carrying a tray of food (centre) and one with a robotic arm (right)
Tiny feet, bionic arms, and bots that can deliver a sandwich – 6 weird and wonderful robot vacuum innovations from CES 2025
SwitchBot K20+ Pro
This robot vacuum can also bring you a sandwich, and it might be the greatest gadget we've seen yet at CES
Roborock Saros Z70 robot vacuum picking up a sock with its pincer arm
Roborock’s new robovac has a mechanical arm that can pick up your socks and maybe also play with your cat
Dreame X50 Ultra Complete robot vacuum
Eat your heart out Daleks: Dreame's newest robovac can climb stairs
Narwal Flow robot vacuum
Narwal’s new robovac will moonwalk your floors to get even the thickest carpets clean
Latest in Pro
Epson EcoTank ET-4850 next to a TechRadar badge that reads Big Savings
I found the best printer deal you won't see in the Amazon Spring Sale and it's got a massive $150 saving
Microsoft Copiot Studio deep reasoning and agent flows
Microsoft reveals OpenAI-powered Copilot AI agents to bosot your work research and data analysis
Group of people meeting
Inflexible work policies are pushing tech workers to quit
Data leak
Top home hardware firm data leak could see millions of customers affected
Representational image depecting cybersecurity protection
Third-party security issues could be the biggest threat facing your business
An image of network security icons for a network encircling a digital blue earth.
Why multi-CDNs are going to shake up 2025
Latest in News
Hisense U8 series TV on wall in living room
Hisense announces 2025 mini-LED TV lineup, with screen sizes up to 100 inches – and a surprising smart TV switch
Nintendo Music teaser art
Nintendo Music expands its library with songs from Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Tetris
An image of Pro-Ject's Flatten it closed and opened
Pro-Ject’s new vinyl flattener will fix any warped LPs you inadvertently buy on Record Store Day
The iPhone 16 Pro on a grey background
iPhone 17 Pro tipped to get 8K video recording – but I want these 3 video features instead
EA Sports F1 25 promotional image featuring drivers Oscar Piastri, Carlos Sainz and Oliver Bearman.
F1 25 has been officially announced, with this year's entry marking a return for Braking Point and a 'significant overhaul' for My Team mode
Garmin clippd integration
Garmin's golf watches just got a big software integration upgrade to help you improve your game