Aside from much slower speed at writing on paper, another significant drawback to traditional pens when compared to typing on a computer is the lack of correction utilities.
A paper notebook that you write on with a pen or pencil doesn’t feature software that let you know when you have spelled something wrong, or when your grammar doesn't sound right. It also won't tell you when your writing becomes almost impossible to read to most humans.
But now, European startup firm Lernstift is looking to bring those correction utilities to pen-and-paper-- literally.
The company’s new pen of the same name will actually vibrate to alert you when your handwriting has become illegible or when you’ve made a grammatical error.
To be sure, the new pen doesn’t sport a fancy display, but instead uses different combinations of modes and vibrations in order to provide you with specific corrections.
When the pen is switched to Calligraphy Mode, it will vibrate once whenever it detects an illegible letter. In Orthography Mode, the pen will vibrate once when you make a spelling error, and vibrate twice when it detects a grammatical error.
The detection mechanisms work in the air as well, so you don’t have to actually put pen to paper for the correction features to function.
The Lernstift pen runs on the Linux operating system and employs the use of motion sensors in order to detect what you’re writing. It uses the data obtained from the motion sensors to look for possible errors.
Currently, two models of the pen are in production. The first model can be considered the standard version, providing the correction capabilities, but not much else.
A more complex model with more features works with your WiFi connection, as well as a pressure sensor to let you know when you’re pressing too hard on the paper.
If you think you’ll be emotionally stable after a pen tells you that it can write better than you, the standard model is slated for an August 2013 release, while the more complex model is planned for a release in 2014. Pricing isn't available yet.
