Smart Quill

Working Of Smartquill

                             SmartQuill is slightly larger than an ordinary fountain pen. Users can enter information into these applications by pushing a button on  the pen and writing down what they would like to enter .The SmartQuill does not need a screen to work. The really clever bit of the technology is its ability to read handwriting not only on paper but on any flat surface – horizontal or vertical. There is also a small three-line screen to read the information stored in the pen; users can scroll down the screen by tilting the pen slightly. 

Abstract

The introduction of SmartQuill has solved some of these problems. Lyndsay Williams of Microsoft, UK is the inventor of SmartQuill,a pen that can remember the words that is used to write, and then transform them into computer text. The pen is slightly larger than ordinary fountain pen, with a screen on the barrel. User can enter information into these applications by pushing a button .Information can be entered using his/her own handwriting. User can use any platform for writing like paper, screen, tablet or even air. There is also a small three-line screen to read the information stored in the pen. Users can scroll down the screen by tilting the pen. 

About

  

         Lyndsay Williams of Microsoft Research's Cambridge UK lab is the inventor of the Smartquill,a pen that can remember the words that it is used to write, and then transform them into computer text . The idea that "it would be neat to put all of a handheld-PDA type computer in a pen," came to the inventor in her sleep. “It’s the pen for the new millennium,” she says. Encouraged by Nigel Ballard, a leading consultant to the mobile computer industry, Williams took her prototype to the British Telecommunications Research Lab, where she was promptly hired and given money and institutional support for her project. 

Accelerometer Technology

        This technology uses a device called Accelerometer which is used  for measuring motion. A tiny accelerometer in a pen could be used to  detect the stops and starts, arcs and loops of handwriting, and transmit this  information to a small microprocessor that would make sense of it as text.  There's also the possibility of viewing a full page of text through a special monocular magnified "virtual" screen that could be built into the end of the pen.

Communication With Other Devices

        Earlier SmartQuill models  developed by BT laboratories communicated with the PC via a radio transmitter, but the current prototype hooks up to a PC via a cable and electronic docking station called an "inkwell." .The data stored in the memory is uploaded to the personal computer when it is placed in to a docking station. An electronic docking station is a small cabinet to which a laptop or notebook computer can be attached for use as a desktop computer ,usually have a connector for externally connected devices, such as hard drives or scanners and ports that can be linked to components such as keyboard, monitor and printer. 

Conclusion

               The estimated cost of this futuristic pen is around $200.SmartQuill supports two factors: small size and convenient use. The future of SmartQuill ensures all computation power the user needs right inside the pen.  Reducing the size of handheld computers can only be taken so far before they become unusable.