Did you know that Disney has a research department called…Disney Research? They have a bunch of folks investigating new technologies, which is probably a good thing, considering how Disney has pushed their field of animation forward as a whole. If the company’s philosophies and practices have made it a global leader in entertainment, maybe similar ideas could benefit other areas of life? The latest creation from Disney Research certainly seems to suggest that: They’ve just shared the PaintCopter, an autonomous quadcopter drone (a modified DJI Matrice 100) that can spray paint on 3D surfaces (via Digg).

The way the technology works can be explained simply: First, the surface to be painted is scanned, which generates a 3D map. Once that’s done, a designer lays out onto the 3D model what design needs to be painted. Then, the PaintCopter makes it happen.

In the video above, you can see that it definitely works, although it isn’t exactly the most accurate or consistent paint job in the world. Still, it’s pretty good, and you have to believe that as this is worked on more, it’s only going to get better and better. Disney Research hopes the PaintCopter will eventually allow us to paint large surfaces without using ladders or scaffolding, a goal that seems completely plausible once the technology improves, and one that would make painting buildings, murals, and things like that a heck of a lot easier.

What other applications can you think of for this technology? Let us know down in the comments!

Featured image: DisneyResearchHub