VIDEO: New Pen Vibrates to Help Parkinson’s Sufferers Write Legibly

While there are Many Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease — Slow Motor Skills, Mumbling and Difficulty Making Facial Expressions — the Most Recognizable Symptom is Physical Tremors. Aside from Making Micro Movements Difficult to Perform — Tying Shoelaces, for instance — the Tremors Make it Difficult to Hold a Pen and Physically Write. Design Group, Dopa Solutions, Created a Dope Solution to this Problem: a Pen that Vibrates in Order to Make Writing Easier. The Handwriting Disorder that Afflicts Parkinson’s Victims, Micrographia, Causes Handwriting to be Both Cramped and Small, Making it Difficult to Read. The Writing Tool Dubbed the, "ARC" Pen, Uses High-Frequency Vibrations to Stimulate the Muscles in a Sufferer’s Hand to Expand the Handwriting and Make it More Spacious. Dopa Solutions Hasn't Yet Published Official Results but, the Researchers Have Stated that, Out of 14 Patients Tested, 12 of them (around 86%) were Able to Write More Legibly, Thanks to the Pen.


Aside from the Tremors Making Writing Illegible, it’s also Difficult for Sufferers to Grasp a Writing Implement, as Pens and Pencils Aren't Only Thin but, Aren’t Ergonomically Designed for Parkinson’s. The "ARC" Pen Aims to Tackle this Problem as well. It’s Not Only Thick Enough to Grasp with a Looser Grip but, Shaped in a Way that Aids Both Grip and Movement. Parkinson’s Doesn’t Yet Have a Cure but, Technology is Helping to Ease Both the Symptoms and the Everyday Tasks that, the Disease has Made Difficult. Last Year, Google Purchased a Spoon that Used Vibration in Order to “Cancel” the Tremors of Parkinson’s Sufferers and just a Few Months Prior a Student Created a Breath-to-Speech Device to Help the Speech of Parkinson’s Victims Become More Clear. Dopa is Currently Looking for Sponsors to Further Development but, if the "ARC" Pen Can Find Success, the Company Plans to Integrate the Vibration Technology into Other Tools with which Parkinson’s Sufferers Have Trouble Using, like Toothbrushes, Silverware and Even Computer Mice.




Info Source:

https://vimeo.com/118493658