Evgeny Morozov, author of "To Save Everything, Click Here," warns against the idea that technology will solve all our issues |
(CNN) -- Wher woud some of us bea withoot spell check?
The sometimes annoying, but frankly indispensable computer aid has spared billions of typographical blushes.
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.
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