This New Pen Could Help People With Parkinson's Write More Legibly
People who have Parkinson’s disease sometimes experience micrographia, a symptom where handwriting starts out OK but becomes increasingly small and difficult to read. It can make everyday tasks like signing a card or writing a grocery list incredibly difficult. Parkinson’s can also make small, narrow writing tools, like a pen, painful to hold.
What is Parkinson’s Disease?
With these difficulties in mind, the British design group Dopa Solution developed the ARC pen, a pen designed specifically for people with Parkinson’s who experience micrographia, Wired News reported. The pen, which is larger and easier to hold than an average pen, vibrates at a high frequency that helps users write clearer and larger. In a trial of 14 people who have micrographia, 86 percent of the participants’ writing was bigger when using the pen, according to the video below.
The ARC pen is still in the early stages of development — Dopa Solution is currently looking for sponsors to progress testing and development to the next level.
“As our theory of using vibration works for other tools, it could be [used in] makeup tools, brushes, computer mice and other tools,” Lucy Jung, one of the product designers, told Wired.
Hear more about the ARC pen from people who have used it in the video below.
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Rachel Kassenbrock is an Associate Editor at The Mighty. She recently graduated from the College of Wooster with a degree in English, and has previously written for the Ms. magazine blog and LifeinLA.com. She now lives in Los Angeles where she enjoys live music, being outside and all things coffee-related. You can follow her at @rkassenbrock or email her at rachel@themighty.com.
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