Robotic pen guides the hand of the blind

April 6, 2008 | Source: New Scientist news service

The “McSig,” a forced-feedback pen, has been developed by University of Glasgow researchers to help blind and visually impaired children write clearly and consistently by gently guiding their hand.

In addition to haptic feedback, the system offers audio cues, with stereo sound panning to the left and right as the pen moved horizontally and the pitch increasing and decreasing with forward and backwards movement.