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How Would You Use the Livescribe Smartpen?
From sketch artists, to researchers, students, and business professionals, everyone has a different idea of when, where and how they’d use the Livescribe smartpen. So what’s yours? Write us back by submitting a comment below. We’ll pick our favorite response on January 4, 2008 and send you a smartpen for free when we start shipping the product.
In the meantime - check out what our group friends are saying on Facebook, and have a look at what other blogs are saying:
Livescribe - Paradigm Shifting User Research Technology?
“While the [Livescribe] was not designed for user research applications, consider how it might be applied:
- During user interviews, the researcher can reference what he or she writes or sketches directly back to the interviewees words for clarity and idea expansion.
- In usability testing the facilitator can reference recorded comments directly back to a discussion guide document to quickly drill-down to supporting quotes.
- For ethnographic observations informant conversations and environmental sounds can be unobtrusively recorded while taking notes.”
Ethnography: Saved by Technology?
“Enter the [smartpen] from [Livescribe]. The [smartpen] allows us to take notes even as we capture a taped version of what is said, and then to interpolate between them as need be. The [smartpen] gives us both the topographical map and the treasure map.”
“Unfortunately, at least some of that time you really do need an accurate transcription, particularly of complex ideas that are new to you and so are hard to summarize. That’s where being able to replay just that portion of the lecture with Livescribe would be incredibly useful.”
Pen Cures Restless Mind Syndrome, Reveals Office Secrets
“For business purposes, the uses are endless. The pen can attend those mindless weekly traffic meetings on your behalf.”
“This would have been a dream device for me when I was a student. I was always sloppy with my notes and would often spend hours trying to figure out why I circled three times “War/zoo analogy”. Seemed important at the time, but when it came time to study, I’d have to put on my Sherlock Holmes hat and try to figure out what the heck it meant. With this, I could double click, rewind a few minutes and just hear it again.”
“I am the old fashion type who likes to take notes by hand rather than type through a lecture. (As a former radio journalist, I also like to have my tape recorder going to catch those important quotes!)”
Tags: business professionals, ethnography, Facebook, journalist, researchers, sketch artists, students, transcription
December 19th, 2007 at 2:07 pm
I would take notes during my meetings with the Livescribe smartpen, while focusing on the content of what is being discussed instead of the literal wording. Then I would go back and hear what the person said when I found the note to be important both on my computer and on my paper.
If the developer network latches on as I expect it will, I would expect to:
Have the text I wrote and audio I heard transcribed automatically for quick searching of all this wonderful context. It would be quite useful, even if it weren’t perfect because many words would properly be searched. Unlike other transcription sources, it would be easy to go back to the master audio and written context. Then I would have all of this indexed into a relevant electronic notebook (ideally Circus Ponies NoteBook) that would provide the key to my ability to have a fundamental understanding of all that I experience.
December 20th, 2007 at 1:18 am
I am an in-home counselor. I provide intensive counseling for families with children who have been removed by the state or are at risk of this. I am highly involved in all aspects of my family’s lives. During a counseling session, my families are uncomfortable with a tape recorder lying on the table. (Yes, there is always informed consent.) And especially when I am talking with peers of some of our kids, I get no where if a tape recorder is used. By being able to record as I am taking notes during the session, I am able to focus on what is being said, how it is being said, and what is not being said rather than what I am writing.
After sessions, I do my case notes. Because I travel to my family’s homes, I can not comfortably bring my laptop and leave it in the car. Most of my families live in high crime areas and many have creepy crawlies in the home that make it unwise to bring too much inside.
During meetings, I will be able to focus more on nonverbal cues and secondary meanings of what is being discussed by other parties involved in my cases (lawyers, teachers, child protective services, etc)
With my livescribe, I will be able to summarize all important information in my case notes, provide recordings of my sessions to my supervisor and consultant, and have a permanent record of my notes and recordings. This will be invaluable for court cases and accreditation audits. Using third party software, I will be able to convert my case notes to text and submit them in a timely manner. Professionally, I expect that Livescribe will save me quite a few hours of paperwork a week. It will provide me with security of knowing what was said when, and it will allow me to feel more comfortable in my job.
I must say that I have spoken to the CEO of our company and he is extremely interested in your product as well.
Personally, the livescribe will allow me to write letters to family, create speeches, journal about my life, and upload to my blog. These are the things that so often get left out because of time constraints. With Livescribe in hand, these things will be able to be done while I am driving, waiting in line, or sitting at court.
When I go back to school for my PhD in another year, the benefits of Livescribe are clear and encompass all that your marketing department has offered.
The applications for this product are truly limitless. I am beyond excited to receive a Smartpen and to begin to make my life is little easier. I do not care which notebooks are compatible, as long as they are reasonable priced.
December 20th, 2007 at 7:46 am
As soon as the SDK is released I want my dev team at the ad agency I work at to develop a custom app that we can calculate estimates based on specific roles and our rate card.
December 20th, 2007 at 9:23 am
I’m 32 and recently went back to school full-time. I have a minor audio processing disorder that makes lectures a real challenge. Frequently, I miss pieces of lectures because something happens in the background (it can be as simple as as someone coughing or shuffling in their seat). It’s also not at all uncommon that when I am reviewing my notes there will be words and names that I have written down that seem completely random. I can’t remember why I wrote them down or how they are relevant. Being able to click on those seemingly random things and hear what was happening when I wrote them down would be a HUGE help. The Livescribe is exactly what I need. I found it by searching google for a digital pen with a voice recorder.
December 20th, 2007 at 2:43 pm
Schalliol, Laura, Adam, and Z - we at Livescribe would like to thank you for your comments and continued interest in the smartpen
December 21st, 2007 at 1:59 pm
I am an older student who has returned to college. I will use my Livescribe in lectures — especially math and biology courses. Presently I take notes, tape some lectures, and then type up the notes. This pen will save me so much time!
December 22nd, 2007 at 1:00 pm
I’m a project manager at a bank. Still awake? That’s usually enough to put most people asleep…
It’s actually a good job, but in my previous job I was able to use my tablet PC which I love for taking notes. Unfortunately, in this job I cannot use my tablet and I would love to have a solution which wold let me easily take notes in meetings and refer to those notes quickly and easily later. Livescribe would fill that need rather nicely! And I atted a LOT of meetings, so it is something I would use a lot.
December 23rd, 2007 at 5:20 pm
As a HS chemistry teacher, I usually provide quite a bit of information in class, in the form of class notes. It is not always advantageous or even possible for me to print out notes for students beforehand. Therefore, students often struggle with trying to copy the notes (and process the information) due to the amount of information they are provided with everyday. Some students are very good at getting all of the notes (and processing) but sadly not everyone is as proficient.
I have also wished there was a way to podcast my lessons so that students could have access to them at a later date. This would be particularly valuable to students who have been absent or to students (with disabilities) who have trouble taking notes in class.
This tool would allow me to publish my notes in a relatively quick manner with pictures and context of meaning. Students would then be encouraged to focus more on the lesson than on making sure every detail of my notes are copied.
This could be accomplished by asking one of my best students to take notes and these notes could then be uploaded to the school’s server or website for later access. I would imagine that this duty could be rotated throughout the class to give every student a chance to have his/her work “immortalized” on the web.
December 26th, 2007 at 10:42 am
I am a software developer and composer.
As a developer, my first thought when I saw this, was “I wanna program with this thing”. Out-of-doors!
I want to be able to get away from my desk, out into the fields and woods, into the *sunlight*. Maybe climb a tree or sit in the shade by a stream. Then, pull out a pad of paper and the Livescribe and start making notes : drawing Entity-Relation or UML diagrams, writing some simple function bodies, sketching input forms etc. Then, when I get home, I want to be able to sync. the pen, clean these up and compile.
I’ve already spent way too much of my life letting my profession deprive me of fresh-air and exercise. Now I want to be able to do my work surrounded by nature.
Livescribe seems, potentially, like it can make that dream a reality. I’ve looked at laptops, handhelds etc. All of them are either too heavy, too fragile, have too short a battery life (what with their coloured screens and operating systems etc.) and the backlit LCDs are never going to be great in daylight.
As a composer, Livescribe started me wondering about a new kind of art-form - something between abstract painting, some kind of modern musical score, a new instrument and a “steady-hand” game - where the composer would record music along a number of swirling lines and shapes, and the player would trace them with the pen to recreate the music.
As I’m sure I’d have to write some special software for this, I hope the SDK will give some useful access to audio. Will Livescribe support MIDI notes, for example? Or the ability to mix and manipulate samples?
Perhaps more importantly, though, would be for there to be some quite sturdy paper. And for the camera in the pen to work at least through water-color paint. With that, if the Livescribe takes off, I could even imagine a market for original “interactive” drawings and paintings which produce sound or other effects as you trace them.
December 27th, 2007 at 3:42 am
I would use it to write my sermons and up coming books it will also help why taking notes in school and while listening to other preachers.
As far as what apps i would like to see one that would help me during writing process and compatibilty with one note.
December 27th, 2007 at 10:24 am
The best thing about the Livescribe Smartpen is that I don’t have to decide how to use i… I just use it how I see fit at the time. Being a pen, a digital pen, a digital recorder, and a audio playback unit all in one, there are many uses that I see for it in my daily activities. From taking a quick note about what I need to get at the grocery store on the way home, to laying out a design on paper for a new website. The Smartpen can handle it all and more.
One thing that stands out for me is the ability to let me be creative and not have to worry about if I am going to remember what I am doing. I like to grab a pen and just start doodling an idea (the old put the idea on the napkin thing) but when I go back, I often forget key details of the doodle, or I get sidetracked by writing them all down that I miss “the moment” of creativity.
This is what I want to unleash with the Livescribe Smartpen!
December 27th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
I serve on many different committees and Boards where I like to take notes of what we are discussing and voting on. Sometimes items are postponed for a future meeting. The Livescribe pen would allow me to review my notes and the discussions before I walk into the meeting so it would allow me to speed up the process so we don’t have to “rehash” what was already agreed to, only what still needs to be decided.
December 27th, 2007 at 3:59 pm
As a full-time superhero, I would use my Livescribe Smartpen to help with the less gritty aspects of crime-fighting — taking statements from supervillains, transcribing information for the inevitable conversations with lawyers, and other similar applications. I can even use it covertly when I need to go undercover in my war against ultimate evil and secretly record my work.
Okay, so I’m actually “just” a detective. I work in a Major Crimes Unit, which means that I investigate incidents of homicide, assault, domestic violence, and robbery — like Law and Order on TV only with 26 times the paperwork. We already use digital audio technology to take statements from our victims, witnesses, and even suspects.
I can hardly wait for the Livescribe pen to come out! The ability to quickly and easily find and play back sections of our notes, transfer recordings and notes to other detectives and the prosecutors office, and even make our rough drafts of crime scene diagrams is particularly exciting. I see this as being an invaluable tool in my daily work and I am so glad that this technology is available (or, at least, will be available soon).
December 27th, 2007 at 4:52 pm
There is no doubt this pen would actually create spare time for me. One integral part of my job is meticulus note keeping. A witness or victim may tell me something that is pertinent to the case and because I am spending my time trying to write (often times verbatim) and listen, I could miss a valuable and case solving clue. With this pen I can listen more closely and write key words to my case instead of trying to write every word they say. The recorder will be a valuable tool to use in field interviews. I can conduct my interview outside of the agency and not have to worry about the micro recorder causing witness or victims to hold back on their statements. Often times, I ask people to come back to the office so that I can interview them in a controlled environment (DVD recording). This is generally intimidating and embarassing to the victim or witness. Typing is another issue. I am constantly following up leads in cases and often times I neglect my typing, being able to upload my notes and convert them to text would save me tons of time. It would actually create more time for me to follow leads and solve cases. There is no doubt the law enforcement sector will definitly benefit from this pen.
December 28th, 2007 at 6:16 am
As a library media specialist and teacher in a high-needs school district, I use technology to make content accessible to all learners. Livescribe will allow me — and our students — to capture and share information using multiple media. The recording and playback features will help our struggling with readers. The Livescribe gives these students another avenue to access important content and build their background knowledge while they develop their reading skills. It also provides another tool to teach reading — students can self-check by reading a word, passage or sentence — and then click to listen. My goal is to acquire 24 Livescribes for our library media center to support research and notetaking. The library has become the technology test-bed and training center for our teachers. I know that this will become a “hot” item — and teachers will want sets for their classrooms. If I received a free pen, I could use it to write my district grant proposal — what I am asking for is demonstrated in the proposal itself. Sharing one pen could yield hundreds of purchases.
Eagerly waiting … Sarah
December 28th, 2007 at 9:46 pm
I teach forensic science. Yep! Decaying bodies, blood spatter, guns, and crime scene tape are tools of the trade. Taking good notes that can hold up in court is essential, yet when you have people crying, fainting, and shooting each other it’s a little hard to remember every thing that was said (or screamed). Though I write as fast as I can, sometimes I can’t even read my own writing! This is definitely a no no when I have to write reports or testify.
A Livescribe Smartpen would be absolutely awesome.
When students are throwing up after seeing the bodies and family members are hysterical and I’m trying to keep a bit of calm, this pen could actually help me stay sane. Wow! This is a great product and I can’t wait to get one - hopefully I can win one!
December 29th, 2007 at 11:35 am
The Livescribe pen will clearly be a homerun for students everywhere. I use a Fly Fusion now and though it is great, it will be nice to access the audio from lectures with written notes. But the real advances of the Livescribe will be clear when it is used in instructional formats where full laptop computers are impractical. I am a flight instructor and when I train to fly new aircraft I would love to be able to take notes walking around the flightline and in the cockpit and have access to my own verbal cues or another instructors points, synchronized with my notes. It would be a great help in reconstructing flights during debriefs if weather notes or radio frequencies copied from the radio could trigger audio recorded in the cockpit. The final way it would help is with flashcards I tape to instruments to learn new operating limitations and if the Livescribe would be a tremendous tool for this kind of hands-on, real life instruction.
December 30th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
I am a middle school teacher and as most people know, kids do not want to take notes! This pen is going to be a lifesaver for those students who have a hard time listening and taking notes at the same time. This learning disability can be crippling when they have to study for a test. From what I have read about the Livescribe, students would be able to write what they could, and record the rest. This is genius. It combines audio, visual and scribing to learn. Three different modalities that some students can’t handle at the same time. I would love to pilot this in my school!!
December 31st, 2007 at 4:02 pm
This is an easy one for me I would use this pen as my Dream Machine, not the ’60’s Dream Machine but as a Machine to help me reach my Dreams. The Dream Machine has 3 parts, Part 1 is a Wiki to store the information(Dreams). Part 2 is a computer to hold the data. Part 3 is a way to get the information into the computer. This pen has the ability to be all 3. Getting Things Done as well as Power Of Now are two of many guiding books on my journey with my Dream Machine. The Livescribe has the ability to exceed any current ideas I have had since it can interact with me the same way books like UnStuck or software can. The Livescribe could ask ‘What is your Next Action?’ - ‘Where do you do this action?’ - ‘When do you need to do this action?’ Or you could just have handy icons for your different projects - You can schedule your 43 folders and interact with the pen and your back up storage device(the mainframe / Home PC) very easily. When you go to the store you have your list with you. Need to add to a project you are working on just pick up the pen click a few things and start writing. You then sync your data to your Dream Machine Mainframe(PC) for back up and follow up / archiving.
January 1st, 2008 at 6:42 am
I posted this on the other board (Professional uses besides being a student), but it was suggested I crosspost it here.
I have worked in construction as a project manager. It is akin to herding cats trying to get owners, materialmen, subcontractors and tradesmen to all work in a synchronized schedule so we all stay safe, make money and complete a construction project on time and under budget.
If you were to ask ANY project manager from residential, commercial or government construction, the problem of change orders would be the number two problem (qualified and available labor is number one) EVERY construction job faces. Using livescribe would enable the many daily changes that occur on a job site that can cost millions to be captured and transmitted to the applicable parties. This pen could save the construction industry billions of dollars.
For instance, a road is being widened. The geo engineers have certified the ground bearing capacity to be a certain number, but when you get out there, the field conditions don’t match what the engineers say should be there. With the livescribe, my written and audio notes of what I found are captured and emailed simultaneously to my boss, the engineers, the government liaison and the site contractor. Everyone knows what is going on with no chance of misinterpreting what was said. This is a change order that could cost millions.
But with the livescribe technology, the engineers can move quickly to find out what happened, the government liaison knows immediately there is a problem and who is responsible, my boss knows I’m on top of things, but also that there is a delay, what is causing the delay and most importantly who is going to pay for the delay. A jobsite has certain carrying costs like security, equipment rental like cranes and dozers, and materials that have to be ordered. Because those costs aren’t my company’s fault, those charges has to be paid by someone and in this example, because the engineers have a problem, they will have to pay the costs.
Using the current change order method which is generally a phone and maybe a fax, the pertinent details are often forgotten or even worse, never noted. The change order costs are incurred, but never billed. The authorizing party may claim ignorance to the situation. Time marches on and memories fade of who said what and when. This is a prime reason change orders often end in litigation. livescribe would stop this immediately. Verbal authorizations can be obtained and act as a reminder to initiate the written change order authorization. Written notes clarify the situation and the audio reinforces it.
Because contracts often have an incentive for on-time finishing, determining who is responsible for a change order and time delay can help the contractor earn extra money or save the government money by clarifying who and what caused a delay.
For the smaller contractors who deal in retail sales with homeowners, there is often a tremendous amount of confusion between what is included and excluded from the contractor’s scope of work. Homeowners often forget they volunteered to remove their own carpet or cabinetry for the kitchen remodel. They forget they were supposed to choose their paint color by a particular date. Contractors may offer to include a service, but forget and attempt to charge for it. A homeowner’s budget can by entirely destroyed by a change order because some issue like who is supposed to check the septic tank location was missed with the homeowner and contractor each assuming the other took care of it. Using livescribe would help jog the memories of who is responsible for what.
Another livescribe user could be building inspectors. When an inspector goes to a jobsite and sees a problem, they often just site the code and fail the contractor’s inspection. A short note with a quick sketch of the problem accompanied by an audio note posted to the permit account would save local governments millions in reinspection costs and contractors wouldn’t have to guess what the inspector failed the inspection for.
This would be a huge help to any contractor, engineer or building official. I would suggest the engineering folks make a military spec (read more sturdy and minimally affected by dirt, dust, dropping), charge $300 and have the marketing folks show up at some trade shows like the World of Concrete, International Home Builders Show, Constructor Expo and showing this to the state DOT’s and building official organizations. I think this is going to fly off the shelves when the construction industry is shown the potential for time and money savings.
January 1st, 2008 at 2:39 pm
As a hospital chaplain volunteer, this pen will enable capturing conversation with patients for detailed visit reports, pending patient consent, of course. What a blessing this devise will be! Can’t wait for the release date to arrive!
January 2nd, 2008 at 3:13 am
I would use the pen to draw physics diagrams more carefully.
January 2nd, 2008 at 6:04 pm
I am so excited about LiveScribe. I am impatiently waiting for the product to be shipped. I anticpate that LiveScribe will dramatically reduce stress, increase my personal productivity and make my daily routine fun.
We are all salespeople, we are all trying to persuade someone to do something. I have chosen sales for profession. One of the necessary “chores” of the job is writing call reports, sample requests, and writing the proposal. With LiveScribe and a few forms I have already developed, I will be able to dictate the instructions to my administrative assistant, have the key words written in the form so input follows the format of the software and the background of the call (recorded conversation of the notes of the meeting are there for back up). After I am done, download to my laptop and email to my admin. She will have the hard copy and the notes from the call. No need to call me with questions, hence faster turn around to the client. I am done in just few minutes after the meeting. WOW!
I use to send hand written thank you notes right after the call. I got away from this with email. Typed notes just don’t look personal, with Live Scribe I will get back to doing this with the added touch of sending voice if appropiate.
I said we are all sales people earlier, some of you I am sure said, “Not me!” well how great is it going to be to send a hand wriiten note and/or a cute message to a significant other on an impromptu basis telling them how much you miss them, or “let’s go out to dinner to night”, or as you are listening to the radio and hear a song that reminds you of them, pulling out your LiveScribe, recording the song, send the note “This reminds me of us …” I bet you will have a warmer reception the next time you meet. After all, don’t we want to make the people we love and care about happier… LiveScribe will let us “Live” a higher quality life.
If you can’t tell I am really charged about the endless possiblites LiveScribe offers.
January 2nd, 2008 at 11:25 pm
There’s no question on the use of this pen in academics and business, the increase of accuracy in written work will be astounding.
But frankly, I’m not much the type for academics. (And perhaps that being a good reason to acquire the pen.)
What I’m excited about is the function of this technology for more “creative” endeavors.
For instance, I design and create costumes, mostly historical recreations. This pen is priceless to someone in my situation. Let’s say I have an idea for Renaissance period corset. I can quickly and simply sketch the design onto paper, describing details as I go on. For example, while I sketch the channels for boning on the corset, I can talk briefly about the advantages and disadvantages of certain types of boning; or I can just briefly write “material” in the margin and discuss what materials would be most historically accurate, as opposed to having to write it all down. Having done that, I could send it to a few of my other friends involved in costuming (or the show’s director, in cases of theatre costuming) and get opinions on the design without having to write out lengthy design notes.
And it would be ridiculous not to mention the use of Livescribe to musicians, especially songwriters. Let’s say I’m sitting around at a cafe or a friend’s place and I have a sudden inspiration for a song. I can pull out the pen and write down basic lyrics and hum along to them, allowing me to keep track of both the words AND the music. Otherwise, I risk forgetting the melody an hour later when I can finally get to a computer or guitar.
This pen is going to be absolutely priceless to artists of all varieties.
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:25 am
Hi,
im a student from germany and I stumbled arround, found your page and saw this really nice video.
I think it would be a nice pen for me at school and i hope i can win one.
I made a little brainstorming and got this ideas for you:
I have a wacomtablet at home too(I’m a softwaredeveloper but i love playing with such things) and i thougt about it how nice it would be to use your pen as a pen with ink and as a tabletpen.
Your software should be able to simple syncronize between different locations like laptop, schoolpc and homepc. And a few people have tabletpc’s perhaps?
A other idea is to detect a gesture like: a left hand circle and a right hand circle and the pen is in the diagramm drawing mode. two left hand circles and the pen is in the uml diagramm mode(http://www.sbgl.de/rmi/UML_Diagramm.png).
I dont know how good your pen really is but perhaps it is the real beginning of paperles office with the help from the epaper? Writing on the epaper, deleting etc.
You know the company Nuanca with the Naturally Speaking software?(http://www.nuance.com/naturallyspeaking/). Perhaps they are able to generate text from the audio.
It should be possible to draw this special icons on the paper by myself so i can use every paper i want. Find a other way for detecting movement like acceleration detector.
I saw your “paper translator” and wow nice thing. I can use it to optimize learning english by writing the word down and then hearing it(english -> english no translation).
With a text to speech software, it should be able to use the pen as a small database for a lot of different data like touristinformations(barcodescanner is it possible?)
You can give a teacher this pen for a cheap way to save the content from the calkboard and then share it with the user.
With a clock, you can implement a timestampmechanism for syncronize data between students or between student - teachers calkboard.
Thanks for reading and perhaps I hear from you.
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:36 am
I’m a writer and publisher of roleplaying games, as well as a gamer myself. While we have a “core” group of contributors in one city, we work with freelancers and contributors from across the globe. The Livescribe will let me hold a meeting with the contributors on-site, then send audio and notes to our out-of-town people, thus ensuring that everyone’s kept up to date! Livescribe will also be priceless for our playtesting sessions — instead of having to take notes on every little thing, often forgetting or overlooking small problems, Livescribe will let us play back the playtesting session and catch all the comments and problems we may have missed! As combination project manager and creative director, I can’t begin to imagine how else it will transform our publishing company… but I plan to find out!
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:52 am
Wow! What a talent pool from librarians to detectives. Keep your comments coming!
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:00 am
How would I use the Livescribe Smartpen? The simple answer is millions of ways, and I can’t wait to get my hands on one. I’ve been following the development for quite a while now. I’m an architect by day, and I love photography, creative media, video gaming, and dreaming up new and creative visions. But, when you first posted this blog, 2 scenarios immediately popped into my head, and only grew from there. The end result was a short video offering a glimpse of these 2 scenarios. I hope you enjoy seeing 2 possible ways I could use the Livescribe Smartpen. I know I had fun creating them and I look forward to the possibility of coming up with more and more ways to use it, once it is released.
So, without further ado, I would like to present the world premiere of:
“How Can Livescribe Work for You?”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4c6zG8lL50
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:53 pm
I will be evaluating the livescribe pen for use in EOCs (Emergency Operations Centers) for departments, municipalities and regions.
Things happen fast in an EOC, when lives are on the line with every decision note taking takes a back seat - but when all is said and done we have to sort out who pays for what (which level of government, which NGO, which private enterprise?) and, sadly, many decisions are contested in court so litigation reviews are needed.
I am hoping that livescribe will allow us to easily capture detailed logs - currently every action is noted on a log sheet, but the notes often suffer from poor penmanship and/or don’t contain enough details.
Initial evaluation will focus on
- ability to record in a noisy environment and successfully capture the local conversation
- ability to create and use custom paper forms - standard NIMS forms (see National Incident Manaagement System forms at http://www.nimsonline.com/download_center/#forms) will need to be created on livescribe readable paper
- security of recorded information (much of the information captured is subject to privacy legislation and / or is confidential in nature) information must be convertable to editable text without leaving the locally secure network
- speed and ease of text converstion - will the pen actually improve ability to maintain centralized status board during incident operations? will it allow rapid transfer of operational status between response agencies? will it assist the PIO in gathering information for media releases?
- usabilty and user acceptance - the pen will have to be used by senior public officials, many of whom are not technically inclined
I’ve been having a lot of fun with my daughters FLY pen and think there is a good chance that the Livescribe pen may be able to improve the information flow within the EOC and thereby improve our response to emergencies.
Looking forward to finding out …
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:41 pm
¬¬¬¬When I first read about the Livescribe pen and all the features that are possible with such a device I knew that it was the perfect tool to use as a college student. In the majority of lectures given in classes that I have attended teachers seem to just teach “at you” not teach “to you”. I think with this pen I could greatly concentrate more on what the teacher is actually trying to teach and not just try to zip by and attempt to jot down every one of their words. Although primarily I would use it for school, this pen could greatly assist me in web design. In designing websites I meet with a client and I outline their needs and wants. With the Livescribe pen I could capture all the audio from our meeting and ensure I don’t miss anything. When going over mockup designs I could also make sure to design a site to their exact specifications, eliminating non-necessary revision rounds. All in all, I think this pen is going to definitely change the digital paper industry, or fully create one. And the possibilities are endless. I can’t wait to see all the software and features that will be unveiled later this month!
January 3rd, 2008 at 2:37 pm
what about smart printer paper?
what if we could print a document on livescribe paper which would include a “IDdot” like the ones on the FLY journals - then when we touch the “IDdot” and mark up the printed copy the edits would automatically be updated to the electronic document (perhaps with MS Word Tracking ON so the author could accept/reject the edits
January 4th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
I’m a rehabilitation counselor that assists clients with disabilities in going back to work. Some of my clients we help put though school. Since I work with folks with learning disabilities, adhd, brain injuries, hard of hearing, etc, I see a way to use this pen with each population. With the hard of hearing who might not want to disclose their disability, this would allow them to stop looking at the professor, write a note with the knowledge that they can go back to the second they stopped being able to follow as attentively what was going on. With the ADHD and brain injury population, this device would allow them to discretely accomodate themselves when they know their attention span is short. The dyslexic population, when struggling to spell a word could just record it.
(The last is something that I know personally in college. I was assigned to write an essay on Eloquence, misspelled as eloguence, wrote an essay on elegance and only through the grace of a kind teacher did I receive a chance to rewrite it.)
More over, I could demonstrate the importance of this Assistive Technology as I used it with my clients.
January 5th, 2008 at 12:10 am
I’d use the pen to make history! - well, at least a history of my neighborhood.
This neighborhood was first settled on undeveloped land about sixty years ago, mostly swamp as we are located at the headwaters of a major creek. I can remember my father in his heavy boots walking over every inch of granddaddy’s twenty acres of pines, wetlands, dragonflies, snakes, raccoons, possums, foxes, bobwhite quail, owls, hawks, and whipperwills, in order to find a spot high enough to build a house that wouldn’t flood.
Many of the original settlers are still here. I live in my grandfather’s old house, with my 89-year-old mother living next door in the home where I grew up. The kind and honest couple who lived across the street when my own family moved here in 1957 are still there, with their daughter and grandchildren next door. My city council representative lives half a block away as he did when we were children together. Around the corner, a couple in their mid-nineties still raise cows as they did more than fifty years ago. There are many others, but sadly every year some of the older residents are lost to us.
Now that I’m retired, I want to record the history of this family of people related mostly not by blood but by long caring, living, and woking together. I’ve been frustrated by the fact that the arthritis in my right hand keeps me from writing fast enough to follow their stories, while a tape recorder distracts them and makes them self-conscious.
Your pen may be the one thing that can capture the joy, sadness, and varied life of our little community of dear old friends before it’s too late. Time is running out for us.
January 5th, 2008 at 10:22 am
I am a professional trader for a multi-billion dollar institution. Financial markets are ruthless in punishing bad traders, analysts, fund managers etc who are not organized. No matter how many computers one has, financial markets demand careful planning and analysis of charts with pen and paper. Sure, there are charting programs for the computer. But what if I don’t want to dedicate my life to computer screen?
I plan to use dot paper and smart pen for financial analysis. I draw trend lines and other patterns and write out estimated targets for stocks and bonds on the paper. I want to be able to track this information as the chart updates. It also makes my life easy because I can capture comments and projections from other financial analysts and price charting experts in my company. The simple truth is human beings are much faster in drawing and recognizing patterns using pen and paper. And I am no exception.
This smartpen will be my best partner in my professional success as a trader, right next to other screen based tools such as Reuters News and various Financial analysis software.
January 5th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
I am a student studying French. I would use the Smart Pen to take notes during class, to record the teacher speaking French. Later, at home, I could not only review notes on grammar, vocabulary, and culture, but I could also study French pronunciation. My greatest challenge in French is speaking, and the Smart Pen would provide a great way to practice that.
There are many particular details to French pronunciation, so by listening to my teacher speaking on the computer and then repeating what she said, I would drastically improve my speaking and pronunciation skill.
January 5th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
I would recommend LiveScribe for physician order entry - more specifically, as a way to help nurses and pharmacists decipher physician handwriting, which is notoriously difficult to read. Physicians would dictate to the pen as they wrote prescriptions thereby serving as a safety-check while they were writing, and subsequently later when the prescription was read and filled.
January 5th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
I would use the LiveScribe pen to assist me during the long staff meetings. There are times that my mind wonders so there are gaps in my notes. Then I usually have to venture out to a colleague to see what I missed while my mind was sitting on the sunny beach reading the newest Danielle Steele novel. This would be my personal use.
For my occupational use, I would use the LiveScribe pen to assist my students during class times by writing the outline with it and then adding some notes. Then I could send it home to the parents for them to assist the students in their homework, review and studying for a test.
Also, using the LiveScribe pen during Parent Teacher Conferences would enable me to remember all of the comments shared by both sides. It would help me make sure that I carry through on my end of the agreement made during the conference. I would have a recording to listen to periodically to make sure that I was still on the up and up with my promises.
I would also have to show it off at technology meetings encouraging others to purchase them. I would also encourage the district to purchase them for students to use during class time. If the students use the LiveScribe pen it may improve their test scores which would make the central office happy.
Ever since I received the first email containing information about the LiveScribe pen, I have been excited. I have anticipated its arrival ever since!
January 5th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
I am a mother/premed student/Spanish instructor/Latina cancer patient navigator. I spend most of my time writing stuff and then scanning it so I don’t lose it and so it stays organized. I write notes at PTA meetings. I take patient information to help them get all the emotional and financial resources available to them. When I am a doctor, thelivescribe pen seems like the perfect tool to keep patient charts in order. The livescribe pen would help me display my class agenda while I am teaching. What I am most excited about is being able to use my livescribe pen for class. The pen goes beyond a student’s dreams. I absolutely cannot wait to have one of these!!!
January 5th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
I’m not much on all the new fangled electronic gizmos, but I’d love to have the Livescribe Smart Pen.
Since I manage a small manufacturing plant my job details include many jobs; which consist of constant interruptions. It would be great to have the smart pen to be able to pick up where I left off or get back on task.
The smart pen would help with notes I have to jot down when I am out of the office or during conference calls.
It would help immensely with the scheduling I often have to do from home.
It would be a great benefit for myself with pattern adjustments required frequently and would benefit the engineers with our company. Engineers are required to make on sigth changes to patterns and then communicate via Internet and faxes. This smart pen would help them alot.
I would have given anything to have this when I was taking college classes a couple of years back.
January 5th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
My divorced parents died six months apart. My mother died first of a horrible and rare disease, the one that took Dudley Moore at such a young age. My father died six months later of heartbreak.
I’m a writer and I realized I didn’t have one single word from either one of them about how they really grew up, what their dreams were, secrets they never wanted any of us to know until we were older, and why they were so-over-the-top about life. Zip. Nada. I have anecdotal stories caught on the fly over the years that no one really believes because there’s no record, there’s nothing to point to. There are memories jogged by a few photos but those are discounted by half at best, at least where my large unruly family is concerned. Even if my parents were still alive, I couldn’t plunk a tape recorder in front of them and get anything other than stilted posturing for posterity, which in itself — if you knew them — could be pretty funny.
But I have the rest of my zany family who are full of the outrageous vignettes that made up our extended family life over the decades. Like the time my Dad greeted American tourists getting off the bus in a Canadian national park with his impeccable old-world manners — he kissed ladies’ hands — proclaiming “Welcome to my World!” with his arms held high and beaming. Then he passed out my business card to every one them and urged them all to go and stay with me at my small apartment in New York: “She’d love to see you. Really. You simply must go.”
I want this pen to capture all these stories from the witnesses who are still laughing about them.
But, LiveScribe, I want you to produce something to make this job easier. I want reporter-size notebooks (4″ x 8″, top spiral, narrow-rule) with a hard back cover. I dont want to spend the first three months of my LiveScribe life at Kinkos cutting up 8 1/2 x 11 notebooks for easy note-taking on the fly. And sell them in packs of six or 12. Please. [I trust the desktop app will have killer hand-writing recognition.]
January 5th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
As a volunteer emergency medical technician (EMT) with a volunteer fire company, I would use the LiveScribe as a means to record patient data during an emergent encounter. In the over fifteen years that I have been an EMT, I have learned that very valuable information is lost while patients or bystanders are interviewed on-scene or during transport to a medical facility. The LiveScribe can revolutionize this and, besides for allowing prehospital care providers like myself do a better job of recalling information to report to clinicians at a receiving hospital, it would allow me to share parts of the actual patient assessment or patient/bystander interview with the clinicians upon arrival. The opportunities to improve patient care with this device are seemingly limitless! I’ll bet that after the clinicians see how this can be used in a prehospital setting, they’ll all want one for their day-to-day work in the hopsital.
January 5th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
Idea 1:
I’ve been trying to get started with David Allen’s Getting Things Done system. I carry a small notebook with me to scribble quick notes - tasks to do, things to get, that sort of stuff. At the end of the day I go through and add things to my big list in OmniFocus on my Macintosh.
I’d like to send those notes to my computer electronically, and then have GIFs of the notes get added to my OmniFocus inbox, where I can easily move them around and transcribe them.
Idea 2:
I sit down with people and discuss ideas. Sometimes we work on whiteboards, sometimes we write notes on paper. At the end of our discussion, what do we do? Find a photocopier? Carry around stacks of loose photocopied paper? I think not. Keep a multi-page notebook automagically synchronized with a PDF at a specific URL. Have business-card sized cards with the URL in the back of the notebook, to be given to anybody I work with. Now they can just look at an electronic copy of the notes!
Idea 3:
If your pen has bluetooth…
Talk to somebody on the phone, scribble notes during the call about what you’re discussing. Then send those notes via bluetooth to the person right after the call. Good if you need to do work on the go while traveling.
Idea 4:
If you can print out dot pattern…
Integrate the system into the Eclipse editor. Print out pages of the source code with Anoto pattern on them. Scribble all over them. Send the strokes via PGC files to Eclipse. Have Eclipse super-impose your notes onto the displayed document. Use different colors to indicate things like “bug fix”, “code to move around”, “documentation”, etc. Use line thickness to indicate seriousness of the issue.
(I should comment that I have played around a fair amount with a Nokia SU-1B, and my home-brew SDK. I have fairly robust implementations of the first 3 ideas listed, and I have a proof of concept grade implementation of the fourth. I print out my own dot pattern on a laser printer, handle checking out dot pattern to whichever app needs it, etc. My mobile platform is the Nokia 770, since it can receive OBEX Bluetooth documents and easily execute arbitrary Python applications to do things like, say, upload the PGC documents it gets to the back-end web server infrastructure to serve the dynamically generated PDFs. My SU-1B has parts falling off it, so I really need to replace it…)
January 5th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
As an almost 40-something making an attempt at getting into medical school, I find myself incredibly intimidated by a number of things ranging from my brilliant (young and fresh) competition to the thought of being a starving student once again at my age.
I think the most intimidating aspect of the whole thing is the fact that my base knowledge is more than 20-years out of date. This means that even to get into med school, I have 20 odd years of chemistry, physics and biology to catch-up on, which does not even touch on the amount of learning I will have to put my old brain through once I DO get in.
Even the fact that the anatomy and physiology of the human body has not greatly changed since I was last in school does not help when you consider the number of my brain cells that have died in the past two decades… some of them were bound to be ones holding that information.
So, when I discovered the coming of this device, needless to say, I got very excited… what better to help my ‘worse for the wear’ obsolete hardware/brain than some space aged technology designed specifically to help organize large amounts of data and concepts.
My teenage nieces tease me that I talk about this pen like a child does its security blanket… I show how much I have learned from them when I answer … “So what is your point?”
January 5th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Wrong question, Livescribe guys. How WOULDN’T I use the Livescribe Smarpen? (I loved the “Superhero”/detective entry, by the way.)
As a working professional in a large corporation, the Smartpen would be an obvious advancement for improving the efficiency of meetings. In most organizations, you either appoint a designated note-taker (thereby reducing that individual’s contributions as they have to focus on dictation), or you attempt to take notes yourself or drop a recorder on the table (both of which are difficult, as transcribing complete notes and devoting total attention to listening are simultaneously impossible; likewise, rewinding and fast forwarding through a recorder to reach the notes you missed is tedious and time consuming).
As an upcoming MBA student… well, duh - having a Smartpen makes sense (just look at the marketing promotion material!). I would have worn an FSU sweatshirt to class for FOUR YEARS to get my hands on one of these during my undergrad! (FYI - I’m a proud Florida Gator, and saying that means A LOT.)
Finally, as a fiance & soon-to-be husband, I can see some great “under the radar” uses here too. Example: Watching the game but getting the third degree on the items “in limbo” from the honey-do list? You sure would rack up the brownie points if you were so concerned that you not only listened, but jotted down her comments to ensure that her point would not be forgotten; especially because you just missed watching the game-winning touchdown in the background. A better, new strategy? Doodle some gibberish (to make it look like you’re doing the aforementioned) on your notepad with the Smartpen and catch up on her rant after that beautiful game winning catch. GO GATORS!
I’d have to toss a Martha Stewart comment onto this invention. The Smartpen: “It’s a good thing.”
January 5th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
I am in the financial services industry and have several ideas for the use of this pen.
…..I am constanly sitting with clients reviewing their entire financial life including debt elimination, insurance needs, investments, budget planning, and much more. Using this pen would allow me to write only small notes and review it later as I prepare a financial game plan for them.
…..I am constantly attending meetings, seminars, and convetions in order to expand my knowledge of my industry. There are often over 20 speakers with thousands of attendees and it can be a challenge to keep up with all of them. This pen would allow me to write key points and review the entire seminar at a later date.
…..I need to stay in touch with fellow associates at all times and this pen would allow me to take notes and post them to my website in order for everyone to review.
These are only a few ideas, and I know I will be using this pen daily. I will also be recommending it to everyone in my life!
Good luck to everyone and hat’s off to a great innovative product!
January 5th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
As a teacher, nothing is mnore important than pen and paper. How couldn’t I use the Livescribe Smartpen? Tutoring students? Forwarding our notes and an audio recording would be invaluable. Faculty meeting? Where my meeting notes used to be incomplete, now I can forward minutes people will read and use and, I am sure, wonder about.
Truthfully, I am not quite sure how I have made it this far without the Smartpen but I know that I have been waiting a long time for it.
I may get a promotion for the job enhancements it will bring but certainly the Livescribe Smartpen will be promoted very well in my department.
January 5th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
As a claims adjuster I speak with people all day long who go in to varying degrees of detail as to why, how and because their claim is different than any claim that may be similar. Most of my communication with these claimants is over the telephone and we usually only take one recorded statement, so it is imperative that I take precise notes during our telephone conversations and some times the stories are so outlandish that I can hardly write fast enough to get all of it on paper and in the notes for their file, but speedwriting helps.
I also occasionally assist my husband who is an attorney and we sit for hours taking notes. This pen is going to become my partner, the thing you don’t leave home with out, how great it will be to write and not have to transcribe notes to the computer. Some of my counterparts simply take their laptop and type all of their notes and if they miss something they just try to catch it the next time. I type 75 words a minute, but I can’t move past a misspelled word (it is some kind of mental block) and that slows me down and distracts me from the note taking. But if I am completely honest, I still like to write. I even went back to my Franklin Covey because it just seemed wrong to just use my computer calendar. I know that the majority of my life consist of me writing all day long and am typing my notes most of the late afternoon and early evening. It may be old school, but I don’t think there is anything better than pen and paper.
You people are geniuses, finally someone has created something for the people who still use pen and paper. You have made something that will take note taking to the next level and will probably bring the world back to pen and paper. Good for you.
January 5th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
The smart pen would be a dream come true for my students with disabilities!
I am a special education teacher and our high school has a full inclusion program where students that previously would have been in a self contained special education classroom are now taking college prep classes. I attend classes with my students and take notes. Which I usually have to rush to copy after each class. We meet for a study skills class everyday to go over what was covered in college prep English, History or science. Just having one pen available for my note taking would make the classes so much more assessible ! The idea that I could take notes that has audio and search available is almost overwhelming! I can envision students that I have right now using this Your pen could make the dream of obtaining a high school and college degree possible! I am so excited that this device will now make education so much less frustating for many students It will help them acheive what they are really capable of! Having this technology will be life changing! I can see this becoming a standard in assisted learning devices that will be written into IEPs at State and Federal level. I can also invision you having pen specialists that also have special education credentials to demo and teach other professionals the uses of your pen in Special Education. Please keep me in mind I would love to volunteer my time to learn about this wonderful sounding pen so I can introduce it to my students, their parents and other teachers !
January 6th, 2008 at 12:00 am
Every time I sense a new lovers’ quarrel emerging between my girlfriend and me, I’d start taking notes.
You think I said what? Well, let’s just see what the notes say.
What’s that, honey? You think I wrote it down wrong? Hmm… if only we could somehow replay the–HA!
Livescribe Smartpen: Never lose another argument.
January 6th, 2008 at 2:32 am
We are a small business in our second year with continual growth. We first saw the release information about the pen several months ago Summer 2007 and have monitored it’s progress. Because our partners work in the field assisting our clients with Branding their respective business creating logos and slogans they are constantly needing to create or assist in creating ideas. We recently negotiated a deal with a major computer manufacturer for special laptops for our field partners to work in the field with our clients to get results much more rapidly than the old fashion way of using just scratch paper and pen to hand in the hopes that it made it to the office in tact. We believe that Livescribe is going to put us on the map by allowing not only instant results in the field but much faster communications and turn around time for our clients. What’s happening in the filed can then be transmitted along with the communications directly to the in house art and design division. We are hoping to impress them right on the spot. So in anticipation of receiving the first two we pre-ordered several months ago we plan to use them to train our people on your technology and buy more. Who knows maybe our clients will want them too!
We think you’ve blown the top off anything that could be considered competition.
January 6th, 2008 at 7:08 am
Although I was immediately drawn toward the Livescribe for my personal use, the first time I viewed the demonstration video, I realized what a true boon this could be in our high school. I immediately forwarded the site to my principal and the Special Education Department Chair, with the request that we earmark some funds for purchase.
A high school setting is a particularly challenging place for both a Special Needs student and the teachers who are working with the student. The Individualized Education Plan (IEP) designed for each student tries to provide ways to accommodate that student’s disabilities so he/she is still able to function within a regular classroom. However, we are also well aware that the student will, at some time, leave our classroom and be expected to function in a “Non-IEP” world. This is where I feel the Livescribe really can make a difference for these students.
For example, one common IEP deals with note taking; the teacher is often instructed to give the student a copy of lecture notes or to allow the student to get notes from either an aide or another student. While this serves the short-term goal of allowing the student easy access to the material, it does not help them prepare for the “real world” where they will have to obtain verbal information on their own. However, the Livescribe could serve as the bridge here. A student could be instructed to take his/her own notes, and then the teacher, aide, or, eventually, the student alone could go over the notes and double check with the voice tap. In addition, a student who is having trouble with a concept would merely have to make that notation while it is being explained, and, again, the aide or teacher would know exactly what to review.
The added bonus is, of course, that the product itself is very hip, cool and affordable. Too often the procedures and equipment we use with Special Needs students are stigmatizing and/or hard to access. The Livescribe, on the other hand, has the added cachet of being something everyone, Special Needs or not, will want.
January 6th, 2008 at 7:37 am
I work with K-12 students who have various cognitive and physical disabilities as an Assistive Technology Specialist. The LiveScribe might be the perfect Assistive Tech tool for my physically impaired and dyslexic students who have a difficult time with note taking and also be the perfect tool for an Assistive Technologist who is on-the-go, a lousy speller and blessed with AD/HD.
I plan to experiment with the newly announced 3D audio connector to connect to a variety of inexpensive wireless microphones designed for video camera use and also those used already in Sound-Field systems in the classrooms. The RF wireless receiver or Bluetooth adaptor would be wired to the top of the pen where the new headset attaches. Most of my students have already chosen the LiveScribe as their first “digital pen” to try out, over all the other non-audio versions marketed companies.
I will also purchase one for myself to hopefully improve my organization and eliminate memory lapses. Upon leaving each school/student, I will be able to quickly jot down the date, school and student, then put the pen back in my shirt pocket. While driving to my next appointment I can be repeating back not only what was done and what we need to do next for that student but also refresh the names of the other team members and relevant people I was introduced to. I hope it will be a game changer for my students AND myself.
January 6th, 2008 at 7:49 am
I love vacations; I love to travel; I love to share and relive my experiences with others. However, after the initial review when my memory is fresh, I have found that pictures alone do not keep my memories alive. I can see this really changing when I use my SmartPen.
How cool will it be to be able to jot down and sketch places I am visiting and include not only my written description, but also my verbal input? Imagine being able to share this online with friends (how envious will they be!) while I am traveling and to add this searchable resource to my computer log when I return home. I’m not a scrap booker, and I have no desire to tediously transcribe notes into a tidy form so I can keep track of details. Audio recorders are bulky to handle; long notes are often difficult to write when one is on the move; details of trips often get lost in the shuffle …the SmartPen will solve all that for me.
January 6th, 2008 at 8:47 am
What would I do with a livescribe?, easy, I’d finally throw away my teenagers Fly Pen. As a 50 year old guy who is working full time and trying to get a university degree in evening classes, I don’t want a semi-toy that can mix music and translate English to Spanish, I want a reliable note taking tool that will really save me time transcribing those lecture notes to usable computer files.
January 6th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
I work for The Larkin Center, a welfare agency in Illinois that provides services as well as a place to live, for children and adults with mental and/or behavioral disorders. Presently we bill state and federal agencies for these services. In these difficult economic times, these agencies are also cost conscious, and reclaiming money for our services can be difficult. We must regularly attend Medicaid training sessions to teach us what is an appropriate service and how to properly bill for these, which can be very difficult to follow. It never fails that several of us will go to these sessions and we will all come back with a different idea of what was said and what needs to be done. What I am proposing is to utilize the Livescribe Pen at these training sessions. This will enable me to record what is being said accurately to help us all to better understand how we are to bill these agencies. The lives and wellbeing of these children and adults depend on our ability to bill correctly and reclaim the money for our services efficiently. I feel your product would be tremendously helpful to our ability to bill and receive financing for our institution, thereby helping improves the lives of the many children and adults entrusted to our care.
January 6th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
I am a project mangaer. I am currently managing 33 projects. I keep notes on everything on ever project. Everything! At minimum every two weeks I have 33 project meetings. This does not include PMO departmental and other administrative meetings. I need to turn the notes I take in to formal meeting minutes. I try to take my notes on my laptop but I am not always at my laptop when these meetings occur (sometimes I have to step out of one meeting to take another). I am looking to use the livescribe to facilitate getting my formal notes and other deliverable done more quickly. Nolonger would I have to transcribe my notes. I could go straight to proofreading and formatting. Can you brink it to market any quicker?
January 7th, 2008 at 12:51 am
I´m a creative director inside a advertising agency. When we make brain storming a lot of ideas are launched , but we cant bring all them later when we are developing the campaings….we forget a lot of ideas, slogans, words sayed…etc. So we decided to film the meetings in a cam to review the creative process and turn again over deleted ideas. But it is a extra work and we lose a lot of time. The smartpen will be the favorite tool for people working with creative ideas- Frequently we got instantly inspiration for a idea but we dont remenber what was about…”this means a lot of written notes in paper that we loose later”. Something similar hapens with the meetings whith clients: “did he sid 2 or 3? ¿Do you remember if the client said Black or Green?… nobody remember it…. I need 5 of this pens for my creative team…..please….send them now. I´m sure that livescribe smartpen will be the revolution tool in advertise and marketing departmens.
January 7th, 2008 at 7:20 am
It’s a miracle! You’ve discovered a cure for ADD (attention deficit disorder)! Ever since I was a kid, my mind would wander in class… and now, as a technical writer for a governmental IT group, I attend more meetings than should be allowed, and I do drift off to other thoughts on occasion. The miraculous Livescribe has done what the medical community couldn’t do… bring us a dose of reality when the old attention span misses a few beats! It’s a modern-day-miracle!!!
January 7th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
As a part-time college teacher (and full-time gadget geek), I can see using this in class. I currently record audio in all my classes, but I also write down points from our discussions. Because I teach World Lit, there’s a lot of give and take, and it would be great to have a way to be able to write brief notes about comments and discussions in class in order to develop further assignments and tests, even to refer back to points in the class for the students should questions come up further along in the semester.
One question, though, can the audio be exported as a recognizable file type like .mp3?
January 7th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Christian, More information will be released about the smartpen’s audio format closer to launch. Hang tight, we are counting down with all of you.
January 7th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
As an educator in the elementary school level if I could I would have my whole class use the pens. Then I would have the perfect way to save samples of their writing without having to have the mounds of paper associated with collecting this. Right now I collect it all, then scan it into my computer (the scanner is not the best one and sometimes does not work), then return all the papers to the students at a later date (if I remember). I could do the same thing with their math, science, and social studies without all the hassle!
For myself, I would use the pen to keep all the information that I write down and then forget where I put the paper! I would keep my notes from various staff meetings without having to take my laptop with me. I have been looking for an easier way and this it! I have a tablet PC right now which is great but I am still lugging equipment around to meetings. This would be something I can put in my pocket! Imanagine that.
January 8th, 2008 at 11:31 am
As I think of purchasing LiveScribe Pen once it is released, I was wondering if it will have the capability of plugging into a phone and recording the conversation while I make notes on the dotted paper. I work as a corporate technical recruiter and most of my business is over the phone and the internet - I constantly make notes, regarding candidate’s skills, but sometime can’t remember the context. It is hard to keep it all organized, so I thought if the Pen had the phone plug in capability this would be a tremendous help. I could also use it while checking references and email the audio file to the manager
Thank you!
Lina
January 8th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
Simply put i have trouble remembering what is said in class and my penmanship is terrible. On top of all that i am studying to become a naval architect (lots of math, sciences, and sketching) too much writing for me to enjoy the classes. Anything that can help me with these problems is a godsend. Also if i could get a list of retailers in Ontario Canada who will be selling your product that would be great.
Thank you kindly
John
January 9th, 2008 at 5:36 am
As a college professor developing technology for laboratory automation, the SmartPen platform could supplant the traditional paper Laboratory Notebook. Academic, corporate, government and military research labs are searching for an interface between the handwritten laboratory notebook and electronic instruments.
At the moment, most labs are required by laws and regulations to maintain a written manuscript of laboratory procedures, including signatures of performing technicians and witnesses for regulated processes and invention documentation currently bound by 21 CFR Part 11.
In addition to providing a written notebook that is scanned electronically on the fly, the audio recording feature would be invaluable to technicians that require two gloved hands to perform a procedure and could simply dictate observations and comments to the pen.
Working through the SDK, it is very conceivable that instrument instructions could be printed as templates on dotpaper. To configure an electronic instrument for analysis, the technician could fill out fields for sample name, results file name and instrument parameters, etc. The SmartPen would then beam these instructions wirelessly to the instrument. The notebook entries would serve as a written manuscript record of the analysis.
We attempted to use hand-held PDAs for this purpose, but their near-zero input bandwidth made them very cumbersome. PDAs are a smart screen with a dumb stylus. The smart stylus, smart paper approach of the SmartPen/dotpaper along with the audio recording provides immense input bandwidth. I am really anxious to explore the SmartPen utility in the laboratory this semester!
January 9th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
I just finished my first semester at Harvard Law School, and for so many reasons, the LiveScribe Pen sounds like my wish come true.
A growing number of profs at the law school have started implementing no-laptop policies in the classroom because they envision an “ideal” where students–instead of trying to transcribe their classes–actually listen and reflect on what is being said in class, while participating in the discussion too. However, the sad truth is that law school topics are so complicated that most students don’t feel like this is really an option if they don’t want to be ultra-confused by the end of the semester, so they try to take transcripts on their notebooks anyway.
I was one of those law students. I spent UNGODLY amounts of time in office hours this fall semester asking professors to basically repeat portions of their lectures because I simply didn’t “get that part” down on paper. I mean, not only are these professors complete geniuses in their field–and therefore operating at a MUCH higher level than their law students–but most of them talk really quickly too!!! Bad, BAD combo for students stuck with traditional pens and paper.
The LiveScribe Pen seems like my wish come true. It would let me have the best of both worlds: I could listen and participate in class while taking the “major” notes (which is the “ideal” image in the law professor’s minds), and then I could review the parts in which I was confused and get the important details that I missed later on after class. Now, I won’t HAVE to go to office hours every single week and bug my professors simply because I “missed some words” that made all of my notes incomprehensible!!!
If only LiveScribe had come out before my first semester …
January 9th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
I am a writer, but had pretty much reconciled myself to the fact that, because I have weak eyes that cannot stand long hours at the computer, I would never be able to write full-time - until I heard of the SmartPen. I would use the SmartPen to write the first draft of everything by hand, and then download it to my computer for editing. As an additional plus, I would use the record feature to record the ideas I’m having when my mind gets ahead of my hand.
January 10th, 2008 at 4:47 am
Braindump++
“Generally, the transfer of a large quantity of information from one person to another or to a piece of paper can be referred to as a ‘brain dump’.” (Quote from Wikipedia)
So do you recognize having important information from co-workers saved like this? On a piece of paper that once told you all the secrets about some product or project but now, when you look at it 2 years later, it is just some boxes with random lines between them and unrecognizable text items written here and there??
So come the revolution, Braindump++ !
Imagine what it would be to once more see these boxes and lines being drawn and actually listen to the explanations that were given at the time! That is what doing brain dumps with the Livescribe smart pen will be like!
Check out my blog post for some pictures and a crappy demo!
http://rocknrollprogramming.blogspot.com/2008/01/braindump.html
January 10th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Hi,
I work for an international development and emergency relief agency - and the Livescribe smartpen would be an amazing tool in helping in recording and transferring info - both for emergency response programs - and non-emergency, in- the- field documentation and sharing of data, overall tones of meetings - and also help bridge the distance in and among our country colleagues…it’s sometimes hard to not only get everything down on paper, but to share the emotions and urgency of each point of action and priority being put on the table during these type of meetings….cost saving, too, which for an agency like ours, we are always on the watch; keeping costs down, yet keeping programs effective and rapid in our turnaround of information…..and that’s just a start! Wish I had one for next week when I go to Aceh! Regards, Ellen
January 10th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
How would I use the Smartpen? I am a senior citizen and still working for the government and noticing that my memory isn’t as sharp as it used to be. I was always able to sit in meetings and pride myself on remembering everything that went on but now I find I need to take more and more notes and still don’t always keep up. Since I plan to keep on working for a few more years and I have more and more responsibilities in my position, I would rely on the Smartpen to help me with my note taking so I can put out the extensive reports as I have done in the past. I’ve always been called a “computer junkie” so age won’t be a hindrance in getting the most out of the Smartpen!
January 11th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
[Unsaved Mother] So, how was bible study?
[Sean] It was awesome!
[Unsaved Mother] What did you guys talk about?
[Sean] Oh, a lot of things. The judgment of God. Deliverance from sin. Baptisms and the laying on of hands etc.
[Unsaved Mother] Really? Laying on of hands sounds interesting. Tell me more about that?
[Sean] Umm… yeah. Well, *glances down at chicken scratch notes*.
Well, one thing the leader said was that we ought to earnestly desire these gifts. And umm… oh he said something was really cool. *glances at notes again*
He said “shake hands with every man.”
Wait…
No.
He said “lay hands on every man.”
Umm…wait let me think about it. You know what I mean right?
[Unsaved Mother] …Sure.
[Sean] *Goes to room disappointed* Ah, another missed opportunity!
The live scribe pen would help me stop butchering quotes and glean more from bible studies. No longer will my level of comprehension be left to the neatness of my handwriting. I will have a device that will store the preachers words so that I can easily share them with others.
January 11th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
I can think of countless applications . The insurance industry requires I go to places of business to take notes and ask customers many probing questions all in order to go back and do hours of prep work. This prep work is just so I get an idea of what their coverages and premiums might look like for a quote (this is what I call no sale maybe? and certainly a reduction in my net profit based on the time I put in if I close the deal) The smart pen will act a a recorder of information so that when I fill out apps for new customers, I will have the electronic files for easy editing and thus, I will improve my profitabilty. Building Applications for my different companies will be amazing after the learning curve is mastered. Ability and profit are two things the Livescribe will boost. This is just one idea. I can’t wait for launch…
January 12th, 2008 at 10:25 am
I’m a state vocational rehabilitation counselor and I team with assistive technologists like Bill Ziegler (Jan 6) to identify technology to help my student-clients (high school and college who have all sorts of disabilities) achieve academic and career success. Bill said it: Many of them have extreme difficulty in class if they have to both listen to a lecture and take notes. In addition, they usually don’t want to ask someone take notes for them, depending on someone else can impede their progress toward independence, and someone else’s notes usually aren’t very helpful anyway.
My dream is that my agency will agree to purchase Smartpens for my student-clients who can benefit from them and I hope to get one too, not only so I know how it works but also because I could benefit from it myself. When I ‘m meeting with clients I take handwritten case notes, but in order to document my files to meet our funding source’ requirements (so we can get $$ to serve our clients), I also have to document electronic files. I decided not to use my laptop to take notes — because it’s distracting and distancing — which currently would be the only way I could eliminate the extra step of word-processing handwritten notes. And finally, I am a person who has AD/HD (like many of my clients) and for us, extra steps almost always create barriers to success because extra steps make it harder to finish tasks. The Smartpen sounds like a great tool for success for people who have disabilities!
January 14th, 2008 at 11:26 am
I am a CEO and when we have business meetings I would use the Smart Pen because when I listen to other people’s Idea’s I must take notes. Lets say I forgot something I can just go back and listen to what they said. I mean how can I run my Multi-Million dollar company without this pen? Once my clients see me using the smart pen, I guarantee next time we have a meeting, they will be using it too!
January 14th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
I currently am using the Fly Pen…and can’t wait to upgrade to the Smart Pen. I work in a very fast paced industry..you may know it as NASCAR. Working at one of the most popular tracks on the circuit we are constantly challenging our limits regarding the facility, staff, fans, and ourselves. I take a lot of notes on the go…and I have to resend those notes out to our sales team. Being able to cut down on retyping notes helps me focus on my more creative tasks. I am a geek and I always have the lastest and greatest tech tool. I usually purchase it and show it off to my boss…then he wants it since it has the cool factor. The Fly pen works pretty well except I HATE the bulkness of it. Plus all of the applications are targeted towards high school - to college age students…nothing for professionals. The only reason I found the pen was when I was in the toy section at Target, and thought to myself how cool. So I purchased it with some other software. So…how would I use my Smart Pen…the question should be how could I not use the Smart Pen? The describition of what is to come is very exciting, almost as exciting as one of our SOLD OUT race events. Can’t wait until they are released…maybe my note taking can reach top speeds like our track! How much could I write going around the World’s Fastest Half Mile…a bunch!
January 15th, 2008 at 12:28 am
I have been waiting a couple of years for this device… since I heard about Anoto a few years ago.
I would use the pen for tons of things. I would integrate it with services like Jott, so that I could literally jot down a note and it would turn into an SMS reminder or show up on my Google Calendar. Then, I would use it to take notes while I’m taking pictures, or record memos, and then those notes would be uploaded along with the pictures. I would write down the name of the restaurant my colleague mentions in passing and then the driving directions would be sent to my phone. I would write email. Imagine that, actually writing a letter! I would write down my odometer reading and the client to bill and it would wind up in my billing software and my tax records. Taxes! Wow, I could fill out my taxes on a paper form and it would wind up in [insert tax software product here]. I could write a check and it would go right into [insert personal software product here].
During the day, when I’m not at home playing with my SmartPen, I would use the pen to help me develop software. I would draw a class model and generate code from it. I would write some code in a meeting without turning on my laptop. I’d write code at lunch, or in the gym, or whenever it comes to me (except the shower — is there a waterproof version?) It would be great if I could print out some code and make some changes to it and then merge in those changes. That would be great for code reviews! Of course, I could take notes during meetings and conference calls, store all of the data in my gmail account and search it forever… and then I could answer the question I hear every day, “why did we decide to do it this way?” Imagine being able to retrieve conversations days, weeks, months or years later. It’s like TiVo for real life!
January 15th, 2008 at 9:48 am
I am a high school student and I am having a difficult time in Spanish class. I have a hard enough time understanding the english language and it’s my native language never mind trying to understand Spanish. What could I say I hate it it is hard, hard, hard………. Teacher speaks Spanish 60% of the time and I miss a lot of important information. I get so overwhelmed that I just stop taking notes sometimes and just give up. My mom bought me a small tape recorder to record lesson, but tape runs out before class is over and teacher hates seeing me fumble with it. The teacher just shacks her head at me in discust. I would like to show her that I can do it and with the smart pen I believe I will be able to do it. I would use the Smart Pen to take Spanish notes, hear correct pronunciations of words and not worry when I miss a word or two. Knowing I could go back and review what the teacher said would give me comfort and I wouldn’t have to constantly ask her to repeat what she said, (she gets very annoyed) I would have it recorded. I would also use it in my Living Environment Regents class. I will be taking a regents exam at the end of the year. The pen would help me prepare for it. I would load all notes onto my laptop and review them as needed.
I can’t wait for it to be available, I have been saving my money for the last month and have $100 so far, hopefully I will have the rest by the end of January.
Thanks for creating something so usefull for struggling students.
January 15th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Well, I know I am one of the most famous Quarterbacks in the NFL, but I am no where near perfect. When your in the NFL, your not always practicing on the field, but you are also practicing in the classroom. In the classroom I watch bunch of videos, take bunch of notes, and learn many new plays.
Well before gameday (Everyday but Sunday), I sit down and read these notes and sometimes I forget what my coach told me. If I had the smart pen, I would just zip back in time and hear exaclty what my coach told me. This makes it much easier to make plays on Game Day. I think this will help every player in the NFL, and that’s why I wanna keep this on the low down, because if I dont than every single player in the NFL will be just as good as me. So, shhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Really, I am a student at the University of Michigan, and as we all know college notes are the hardest notes to take. As they say, your brain only remeber 50 perecnt of what it is told. With the Smart Pen it will make that 100 percent. This will make my life muych less depressing!
Thanks Guys!
January 15th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Thank you everyone for constantly following our progress and sharing ideas. As we get closer to launch we will keep you updated, you never know what we might surprise you with.
-Livescribe
January 16th, 2008 at 9:40 am
I’m a software salesperson, and work as part of a team. I’m also a very detailed note-taker - a very serious scribe! I’ll usually leave a sales call with 3 to 5 pages of handwritten notes. If I have 3 sales calls in a day, I may have 15 pages of notes, all of which I’ll want to share with the other member of my team.
Since my handwriting is virtually illegible to the human eye, my notes are useless to anyone but me, so I need to type them into a document, then send the document to my team. Now, my typing is nearly as poor as my penmanship, so in reality, many of those notes never get typed up and shared out to my team. As a result, the team may be less informed when they engage with the prospect. They don’t sell as well, and we close fewer sales.
With the Smart Pen, all my notes will be insantly available to my team, both in document and audio format. They’ll be better informed, and more impressive and productive on every sales call. The bottom line? We’ll sell more as a team, and make better use of our client’s time.
Oh, and there’s one other benefit - that time that I normally spend typing notes at night can now be used in more important ways - spending time with my children and wife!
January 17th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
I would use it on my Mac….will I be able to use it on my Mac?
January 17th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
I have Repetitive Stress Injury/Ulnar Tunnel Syndrome caused by both frequent computer use as well as taking impeccable notes in class. Writing for just ten minutes can be pretty difficult, especially when I insist upon meticulous notes and often upon recopying them into my computer. Typing notes would be little bit easier than writing, but because I’m a graduate student in a physical science, it is far too tedious to copy down intricate equations into a computer in real time.
The Smart Pen would help me take more succinct notes that didn’t require too much of my effort. I could concentrate on getting all the formulas right and not on the interpretation of those formulas. Also, they would offer an easy way to catalog my notes so that I don’t have to go back and retype them all into my computer. Additionally, the wide base of the pen would afford me a more comfortable grip, something I’ve come to depend on in all my writing implements.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
I’m a neo-Bohemian who’s an altruist at heart and the old-skool pen-and-ink just ain’t cutting it for me anymore. Oh, I should also add I’m fanatical about saving time, and it makes me sad to see notes on paper that are laborious to scan. And I have lots of them.
Gosh knows every idea that gets forgotten is like an abandoned pet, and like Pokemon, I wanna catch them all. I reckon the Livescribe shalt be my Indiana Jones’ bullwhip in this crusade of creativity, and from flowcharts to doodles to video tutorial notions (I do those too… Second Life education) to pithy quips, I need to have them.
I hope the Livescribe will save another longtime dilemma of mine: let me tell you, it’s a sheer pain to hold a voice recorder in one hand and a pen in the other. By combining both into one, I can sing a ditty while scrawling poetry, or maybe practice my voiceover skillz while penning a script. And my other hand is free so, AT LAST, I can eat comfortably and write and record *at the same time*.
I promise to use my Livescribe to do good unto others, and I’ll post it on YouTube to share my joy with the world.
While I’m at it, I’ll make a font with Livescribe too. After watching that Helvetica movie, I’m severely inspired.
January 21st, 2008 at 4:31 am
I make a video about the smart pen technology I’ve seen so far and what I would do to improve them:
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1051447/brainstorm_guy_01_smart_pens/
thanks for watchin
January 21st, 2008 at 6:04 am
I don’t think I have any innovative uses to add, but I’d just like to pipe in my voice as well.
First, I’ve *tried* to go paperless. I have a tablet and an iPhone, but I still have tons of notepads (legal pads and 4X6 top spiral notepads). I can’t get away from the initimacy of paper. I know what I find useful when it comes to my own habits. So, my situation:
I feel like I’m in meetings 25% of my time and trying to keep straight what was told to me, I’m learning, is beyond me, even though I’m an avid note taker. At this time, I take notes mostly as a way to concentrate on what I’m hearing and maybe review later that day or week, but after an x amount of time I just don’t have a desire to look at it again… because I know the correlation between time and memory has made those notes relatively useless. Being able to digitally archive (and hopefully search) my audio and text notes would make a “digital notebook” application like OneNote much more useful.
Speaking of OneNote - I have a tablet, I’ve used it to take notes for classes, and it’s just not a useful enough format. The great thing about OneNote is being able to insert text anywhere, move blocks of text into any area. I don’t like converting the handwriting to text though. It’s too much of a hassle to go through and make sure the conversion went well. I can see how uploading my notes and keeping them handwritten (though hopefully still indexed and searchable) will be perfectly useful in audio format… But in reviewing my notes, I’d want to be able to move blocks of text around (though still have that linked to audio) and insert blocks of text (expand my notes, add useful keywords for searching).
When I was taking classes, I prefer to print out my prof’s presentations and write notes directly onto those handouts. I know about printing the dot matrix on blank paper, but I’d like to be able to print those handouts and still have a dox matrix on it so that writing on top of an image (say colored image) would still work (though I assume if I upload my notes, the handout I printed wouldn’t get uploaded either… So I’d want to have a way to merge the original handout I printed with the notes I wrote on it). Also, I’d probably have additional paper on the side during the lecture, so if I wanted to take notes that just wouldn’t fit on the handout, I’d write it on there. So when I convert to digital form, I’d want to be able to inject the notes I had written on the “side sheet” between the slides on the printed handout… which would also make sense for the audio syncing. Sounds pretty complicated since the audio would sync up with notes on different sheets of paper… since it raises questions such as as when does the audio switch from one sheet to the other (first penstroke?)… the solution, of course, would be to inject that space within my handout before I ever print it but I wouldn’t know ahead of time when I’d want to write more or less per slide, and using a separate sheet would be more space (hence tree) saving.
Other thoughts: Drafts for a paper… print it out, use the correct editing symbols and when you upload it the changes automatically get made. Hehe. But anyway, I also can’t get away from the intimacy of editing paper vs an electronic document. It’s just easier to read and consume paper in an intellectual way for me, but then there’s the need to capture whatever creative juices begin to flow - so being able to mark up a paper and talk about each idea then take that back to a computer and THEN write would be lovely. Otherwise I can find myself staring at a blank screen for hours.
I’d want password protection for some of my notepads, when it comes to accessing the audio. I can write fairly obscure notes, but the linking audio would be something I’d like protected. Since there’s a built in microphone, it’d be nice if voice recognition would be part of a future iteration - nothing extensive, but enough to learn pass phrases and the like…. otherwise writing a password without using ink is also an unlocking option. I think an audio diary would be easier to maintain than a written one. And I could just prepend thoughts with a few keywords or a diagram in order to access them later.
I’d love to have a custom dictionary, or flash card sort of app. I’d probably have words I’d want to build up in general and once the list was long enough, I’d want to digitize it and print it out in some meaningful order with enough space to write in more words (and continue). Be great for someone learning a language, but also for someone just trying to expand their vocab. But that takes me to my next point - expanding these written/audio lists by printing out iterations… Using this dictionary example, I’d still want my initial words linked to audio even when I print out the new sorted list. In my mind, that seems quite possible, it’s just a matter of adding (or replacing) text references to an audio item. This would be useful if I wanted to print out my class notes, say the handuot and expanded notes to study away from a computer.
The possibilities are endless!
January 21st, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Hi,
18 years ago a Livescribe would have come in really handy! That was when my oldest daughter, then 2 years, made a beautiful picture of a Potatoe Man. I would have loved to have had a recording of what she said, and what we, her proud parents said when we say her marvelous creation. So many drawings over the years! It would have been so lovely to have heard the children’s thoughts as they doodled away!
The way I would use it is course for lending it to my friends and relatives to use with their grandchildren and perhaps some day for my own.
January 21st, 2008 at 3:01 pm
My daughter is a composer. I would give it to her for when she is writing her music and singing at the same time - dum dum de dum
January 22nd, 2008 at 10:04 am
WOW!!! Incredible ideas, for using the LiveScribe digital pen
system, are shared here! My ideas for the pen will not be viewed
as important as those expressed presently.
My desire for the pen usage is a bit different! I’m considering
the pen for interfacing with a personal robotics system. I would
like to have an interface which allows command entry by hand
written notes and through digital translation of a path drawn on
printed dot paper having a floor plan superimposed onto it.
With the SDK, it would be possible for some commands to be dynamically
uploaded to the internal computer system directly from the pen, due to
the onboard computer system understanding auditory tones for
certain commands. This keeps the embedded computer system simple
and uses more of the read only memory command structure. Power
requirements remain the same because there is no need to increase
computer memory and processing power.
With this architecture, instead of needing to translate a flow chart
AI structure into commands to store in the on board computer, the
LiveScribe can present the chart in its digital form for direct
translation. Time required for program updates and debugging could be
reduced considerably.
Being able to draw a path for the robot to take, or being able to
draw out commands, seems like a natural interface solution.
There is a possibility of attaching the pen to the robot itself for
dynamic calibration of the drive electronics. While providing myself
with visual feedback of the steps executed by the on board systems.
By storing the captured images, comparisons can be made charting
mechanical wear and drive sensor errors. Not to mention, allowing
my robot to express its own artistic flare! :o)
January 22nd, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Well, this might be a bit silly but here goes. You probably know about language ability of some apes (sign language) and that some experiments have been done with primates and paining. So the idea would be to give a chimpanzee a LiveScribe (fortified if possible) and see if any sounds he/she makes is consistant with the drawings made. That is if for one drawing/line the chimpanzee would make the same sound and then try repeating it back. So I would give the pen to a primate behaviourist.