March 22, 2006. Copyright 2006, Graphic News. All rights reserved

The pen strikes back
Mark Rutter

LONDON, March 22, Graphic News:  Digital pens for entering instructions into a computer have been around for several years. Early prototypes, though, suffered from software problems and a lack of practical applications. Recent progress in the technology however, has seen the digital pen finding a use in real everyday situations, with some police forces in the UK announcing that they are to be employed routinely.

The main advantage of the digital pen is that it allows hand writing to be converted to digital text, hence taking away the laborious task of typing information into a computer keyboard. The latest digital pens work by writing as with any ordinary pen, but on specially adapted paper. This paper, licensed by the Swedish company Anoto, contains a fine grid made up of millions of dots illuminated by infrared light, visible to a digital camera located in the pen. Each pen stroke used to write text such as letters, number and punctuation, is mapped by the internal camera, usually located behind the nib of the pen, and stored. This information can be downloaded to a computer by placing the pen into a docking station with a USB connection and the hand writing recognition software converts it to computer-readable text.

The technology promises to take the monotony out of form filling, like those tedious medical or insurance customer survey forms. It will be a boon for those carrying out inspections in the field, for example on a construction site, where it might be impractical to carry a computer. Digital pens also offer a much cheaper alternative for non-mobile workers employed in note taking, who do not need the computing power of a PC or laptop. 

Kids have been getting in on the act too. Using Anoto digital paper, the FLY talking pen computer from LeapFrog has been on sale since last year. The many interactive applications loaded on the pen allows the FLY to be used for playing games or for education products such as mathematics, spelling and language translation.

WhatÕs more, the latest digital pens have wireless capability allowing information to be sent to a mobile phone, handheld portable computer or PC by Bluetooth connection. After a trial period, the Dorset Police force in England has taken the lead by adopting the Magicomm digital pen and Mercury software in its routine operations. It has invested in 300 digital pens at a cost of £100 each. Officers use the pen for a variety of applications including recording witness statements and crime scene investigation. Once a report is written, it is transmitted securely via a Bluetooth-enabled phone directly to the police database, which means valuable man-hours saved on administration, as well as instant record filing.

Magicomm is not the only company to have developed a digital pen. The likes of Logitech, Nokia, Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi and others have all developed products using similar technology. With the variety of applications using wireless capability set to spread to areas such as health care and acknowledging delivery of goods, the outlook for the digital pen looks bright.
/ENDS