Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Beach printer

Hovercraft plotter, for drawing on the beach
  (+16)(+16)
(+16)
  [vote for,
against]

This is a mini hovercraft, probably electrically powered, with a stylus beneath it that can be raised or lowered on command. An accompanying phone app lets you convert a picture to a black-and-white vector image (basically a line drawing) and set the scale you want to reproduce it at. Once uploaded, the picture is replicated on a suitably sized area of wet sand.

GPS is preferred for positioning; alternatively a pair of beacons, placed on the sand, could define two opposite corners of the print space, allowing the printer to orient itself and to scale the picture.

david_scothern, Sep 15 2012

Buddhist Sand Printer Buddhist_20Sand_20Printer
related [csea, Sep 15 2012]

Beach Printer Beach_20Printer
Dot-matrix style [csea, Sep 15 2012]

Sand printer http://www.markuska.../work/solar-sinter/
Solar powered and 3D too. But you can't reuse the sand afterwards... [mitxela, Sep 18 2012]

Potential Beach Printer Customer http://www.flickr.c...reylloyd/857403988/
This guy needs one desperately! [Canuck, Sep 20 2012]

[link]






       Technically fascinating, but completely pointless.   

       We would buy this. [+]   

       Care would be needed in coding the software so that the craft never crosses its track, thus erasing part of the image.
8th of 7, Sep 15 2012
  

       Just might work. And it would be very, very cool. +
blissmiss, Sep 15 2012
  

       Can't you just use your phone to pilot the craft, dropping the beacons by remote control? The machine would retrieve them automatically after finishing the picture.
pocmloc, Sep 15 2012
  

       I regret that I have but one bun to bestow.
MaxwellBuchanan, Sep 15 2012
  

       [+]
Voice, Sep 15 2012
  

       There is one overooked weakness in your proposal. Hovercraft, of necessity emit a fearful amount of down draft. This might obliterate any line drawing with the exception of one made in invisible ink. but keep up the good work..... Just had a thought. Have you considered using trained crabs?
Lesser Spotted Kiwi, Sep 16 2012
  

       All printer ideas are good. This one is excellent, though quite similar to the Beach Printer +
xenzag, Sep 18 2012
  

       You know how a hovercraft works, don't you? And you know what happens to sand when you blow it?   

       Is there a "too-stupid-for-words" deletion category?
DrCurry, Sep 19 2012
  

       Have none of you ever seen a beach with moist sand halfway through an ebb tide? Or do you all live on the shores of the Med (or on Venus) where there are no tides?
pocmloc, Sep 19 2012
  

       How come I have never heard of this hilarious Solar Sinter, I love it !
PainOCommonSense, Sep 19 2012
  

       Tom Hanks could be the spokesman for the TV ads. (see link)
Canuck, Sep 20 2012
  
      
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