A graffiti-spraying drone known as a'paintcopter' can can draw complex designs on walls and 3D objects and could help decorators colour hard-to-reach spots and eliminate the need for ladders and scaffolding. Developed by Disney, the autonomous drone is equipped with a spray-paint gun and uses cameras to work out where to draw. Experiments so far show the drone's ability to produce simple line drawings such as a bear and a mountain as well as colouring in whole sections of a wall. The product is still in development but could carry out low-skilled tasks such as filling in sections of a wall, leaving humans to do more intricate work. A graffiti-spraying drone known as a'paintcopter' can can draw complex designs on walls and 3D objects and could eliminate the need for ladders and scaffolding Disney's'paintcopter' is attached to a power cable and a supply of paint. It means the graffiti drone can work for long periods to carry out complex decorating tasks.

We've seen some pretty interesting work come out of Disney Research in the past, like techniques for digitally recreating teeth, makeup-projecting lamps, a group AR experience and a stick-like robot that can perform backflips. One of its latest projects is PaintCopter -- a drone that can autonomously spray paint both flat and 3D surfaces. Disney Research says the goal is to be able to paint large surfaces without the need for scaffolding and ladders. The process consists of three steps. First, the target surface is scanned and an accurate 3D map is generated.