Now, an ingenious prototype pen developed by a German
start-up is promising to give our longhand writing a similar sort of safety
net.
Lernstift (German for "learning pen")
is a digital pen with a difference, carrying not only ink inside its casing but
also a tiny computer that alerts users to spelling errors.
Daniel Kaesmacher, co-founder of Lernstift told CNN:
"Basically there are two functions. The calligraphy mode which helps you
correct individual letters, and the orthography mode which vibrates when a word
is misspelled."
The AAA battery-powered Linux computer includes a vibration
module and a patent pending non-optical motion sensor which recognizes specific
movements and shapes of letters and words.
The pen employs a menagerie of sensors,
including a gyroscope (for measuring orientation), accelerometer (for
calculating propulsion) and magnetometer (a device that measures the strength
and direction of magnetic fields) -- all to calculate the pen's 3-D movements.
Lernstift recognizes all writing movements, the company
says, written on paper or in the air and built-in Wi-Fi allows scribblers to
connect with smartphones, computers or other pens in a network.
The pen was invented by software developer and Lernstift
founder Falk Wolsky after seeing his wife's frustrations at watching their son
struggle with his homework. Why can't pens give instant feedback on mistakes?
she asked.
His imagination fired, Wolsky set about constructing a
prototype before assembling a team of hardware and software experts late last
year.
"We are at the stage where the individual components do
their job. We haven't put it together yet, but the response to the idea though
has been overwhelming," Kaesmacher said.
The pen has been designed primarily as an educational tool
and the Munich-based company are hopeful that dyslexic children will find the
new pen particularly useful.
Greg Brooks, Professor Emeritus of Education at the UK's
University of Sheffield gave
the pen a cautious welcome.
"It's a neat idea in principle, but as ever the proof
will be in the using of it," Brooks said via email.
"Will it learn individuals' quirks of handwriting, or
insist on one style? I can see how it might be programmed to spot obvious
spelling errors (non-words), just as the spellcheckers in word processors do --
but none of those can yet cope with real-word errors."
A Kickstarter
campaign recently got
underway looking to raise £120,000 ($180,000) and tests in schools will begin
later this year.
The first pens will initially recognize only English and
German spellings, but other languages will follow, says Kaesmacher.
"Learning your native language is one thing, but it's
also the perfect tool to adapt for foreign language students," he says.
"From a cultural point of view, the pen is a wonderful
bridge between cursive and technological worlds."
Eventually, the company plan to offer pencil, fountain and
ballpoint pen options with a launch price between €120-150 ($160-200) falling
to under €50 ($60) depending on how fast the company grow.
previous article
Newer Post
No comments
Post a Comment