I always knew robots would take over the world and kill us all…one day. But until then, perhaps…just perhaps..we can be friends. That seems to be the goal with a team from the Jerusalem College of Technology. The new Zuta Pocket Printer (“Zuta” literally means “miniature” in Hebrew) is truly a marvel. At only 4.5″ x 4.5″ x 4″ in size (roughly the size of your fist), this little robot can print to any standard size media at a speed of 1.2 ppm (pages per minute). While that may sounds slow, consider the fact that the Zuta runs on a USB-rechargeable lithium-ion battery. It will run a full hour on that single charge–enough time to fire off a 50-page document (give or take a few pages).
The printer is activated by opening up a small “hatch” located on the bottom. This reveals the inkjet head and allows it to print to over 1,000 pages. While the first version will only print in grayscale, you can bet Zuta will be working on a color model as soon as this gets off the assembly line.
Specs and Features
- Dimensions: 4″ H x 4.5″ W x 4.5″ D
- Weight: 0.7 lbs (10.6 oz)
- Outer material: Polycarbonate
- Supported media sizes: Any standard size (A4/A5, Legal/Letter)
- Print speed: 1.2 ppm
- Print resolution: 96×192 dpi (final product will have higher resolution)
- Ink cartridge: Single black cartridge
- Connectivity: Wireless Bluetooth BPP
- Connections: Micro USB
- Battery: Lithium polymer
- Run-time (max): 1 hour
- Charge time: 3 hours
- Supported operating systems: Android, iOS, Linux, OSX, Windows
As this is a Kickstarter project, expect it to grow with time. For now, the Zuta mini robotic printer comes in 2 colors: Mars black and Titanium white. As of this writing, the company has almost 1,500 backers and has raised over 60% of its $400,000 target amount with 28 days to go.
Check out the Kickstarter page here.