At Milan Design Week, bold Italian architect, designer, and futurist Carlo Ratti unveiled the Scribit robot, a new design tool that will have toddlers throwing their arms up in exasperation. The bot is capable of recreating any digital drawing on a wall through the use of what Ratti calls "reversible markers"; the creative toddlers of the world have been getting into big trouble for drawing on the walls, and yet the Scribit robot gets a free pass.
Part of the appeal of Scribit is its ease of access. Consumers need not be tech experts to operate the bot: it draws on a two-dimensional axis (i.e. a flat wall), and it uses a pair of wires to suspend itself. Those wires need only be connected on opposite corners of the wall with nails, and Scribit simply uses a nearby outlet to operate. Consumers can load any graphic image, be it text, a picture, or anything else, to Scribit and it precisely mimics that image on the wall. The bot also remembers the image that it last drew, and it then runs back over its proprietary erasable markers to remove that picture if asked.
Automated Wall-Decorating Robots
Carlo Ratti's 'Scribit' Robot Creates and Erases Digital Wall Art
Trend Themes
1. Automated Wall-decorating Robots - Scribit robot's ability to recreate digital drawings on walls opens up opportunities for automated wall-decorating robots in the home and commercial spaces.
2. Ease of Access Design Tools - Scribit's user-friendly interface and simple setup make it an example of the increasing trend of design tools that are accessible to consumers without technical expertise.
3. Reversible Marker Technology - The use of reversible markers in Scribit provides an innovative solution for creating temporary wall art, offering opportunities for marker manufacturers to develop new products.
Industry Implications
1. Interior Design - Automated wall-decorating robots like Scribit could disrupt the traditional interior design industry by offering customizable and dynamic wall art solutions.
2. Home Improvement - The ease of use and versatility of Scribit may lead to disruption in the home improvement industry, as consumers can easily change the look of their walls without the need for extensive renovation.
3. Printing and Imaging Technology - The use of digital drawings and erasable markers in Scribit highlights the potential for disruption in the printing and imaging technology industry, as it offers a new way to create and display visual content.