Even someone who possesses no painting skills whatsoever could create a giant, wall-size mural with a bit of robotic assistance, using a system of "smart" spray cans. A team of researchers has designed a prototype for a robotic, computer-assisted method that reproduces photographs as large-scale works of art, spray painting the results onto huge canvases (or building walls). The system combines physical gestures and computer-controlled paint dispersal, with a picture rapidly emerging as the user waves a spray can in front of a surface. It produces a lower resolution version of the original that is still a remarkably accurate reproduction -- even if the user didn't know what image he or she was painting. Tests were conducted on large sheets of paper, as the study authors encountered some difficulty in obtaining permission to unleash an army of computer-controlled graffiti artists on university buildings at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, where the study took place.