High-tech pen makes U.S. debut at U. conference

In today's technological climate, in which innovation seems to move further and further away from the simplicity of pen and paper, it is surprising to discover Anoto. This new technology -- showcased for the first time at a Thursday conference on campus -- certainly contradicts this trend. Launched by a Swedish company and currently being developed by a number of companies, including Logitech, the technology consists of a revved-up pen housing its own tiny camera and sensors and ordinary paper encoded with miniscule patterns, which are recognized by the pen. Wireless technology then transmits information from the digital pen to a computer or other desired digital destination. The image appearing on the computer screen, thanks to the ingenuity of Anoto, will be identical to the markings made by the pen on the paper. Perhaps this is why Engineering Professor and Associate Dean Norman Badler describes Anoto as "a truly disruptive technology." Badler was one of several speakers at the conference, which marked the product's first exhibition in the country. Other speakers represented industries as different as entertainment and education, and presented applications of the technology licensed by Anoto. Anoto's decision to conduct its conference at Penn, according to Public Relations Director Charlotte Laveson, was largely due to the interest and enthusiasm expressed by Badler. Nineteen of Anoto's U.S.-based partners attended, including representatives of Logitech, 3M and Paper-Clip. Badler presented two applications developed at the University for Anoto and also discussed Anoto's future in education. As director of the digital media program at the University, Badler said he finds Anoto technology especially useful. Anoto "captures every stroke so you can see the creativity and process in making the drawing," he said. Badler's interest in Anoto stems from his belief that this technology will disrupt, or at least change, the way we live, work and learn, he explained. "I would like to think it's a superior technology to use in the classroom," he added. "You free yourself from the keyboard and it cuts down the number of steps between you and a possible source." Both Badler and Laveson envision a huge market for Anoto in countries and industries using calligraphic languages, such as Chinese, for which the keyboard is cumbersome. Although Anoto technology has not yet found itself a place in Penn classrooms, the day may be near in which students will be sharing their handwritten notes in digital form. At the moment, Badler is still researching the best uses for Anoto in education and seems optimistic about the technology's potential. "We are just one step away," Badler said.