Tuesday, january 31, 2012 I TechNews RYAN HYNES ae@technewsiit.com.:E a 7

Smartpen sharpens focus on digital academic aids

 

By Michael Erie
TECHNEWS WRITER

The Livescribe Echo smartpen is a
product that records audio as well as written
notes that you can sync up with any computer
which has a basic program available from the
company’s website. I learned about the Echo
about half a year ago, and the idea of being
able to connect my notes from classes with the
actual lecture was so appealing that I quickly
purchased the 2GB pen online for $99.95. Two
other models of the echo are available with the
most expensive being the 8 GB model selling
for $199.95.

The physical construction of the
pen is fairly solid — mine took and survived
quite a beating, including being stepped on,
on more than one occasion. One problem with
the construction is after a few small impacts
the case where the micro—USE port and audio
jack are located becomes loose. Also, the case
of the pen is bulky, coming in around half
of an inch in width at the thinnest and six
inches long, making handling the pen far more
awkward than a simple ballpoint pen. The pen
tips are standard ballpoint tips that are easily
replaced when the ink runs out. The pen has
an OLED screen which displays the time and
allows the user to navigate through menus and
applications. Under the pen tip is a high—speed
infrared camera that utilizes Livescribe’s unique
paper to record what is being written, and the
pen has a mono recording microphone which
allows the recording of audio. The paper is
provided in many sizes and forms and can be
ordered with the pen or by itself.

The program that transfers your
notes and documents to the computer is called

“Livescribe Connect.” The interface of this
program differs based on operating system but
the basic navigation is the same. There are three
tabs to utilize: pages, audio, and applications.
Through these tabs audio can be played back
from the pen, or saved on the computer with
the document so that the audio can be played
via highlighting words in the corresponding
document. By archiving documents and audio
on the computer, they can be deleted from the
pen, freeing up space. Livescribe has created a
forum in which these files, called Pencasts, can
be uploaded and shared. Other programs, like
Evernote, can also utilize Pencasts and are easy
to set up.

The pen operates wonderfully in most
cases. When writing commands, then pen can
have some issues with understanding the words
written which is compounded by my poorer
hand—writing. Audio recordings from lectures
in small class rooms around campus are easy to
listen to, even if I am sitting in the back of the
room. The ability to play audio starting from a
point in a document is a great feature for cutting
down time searching through the llTOnline
video for that section in the class. However,
there is a problem which comes with recording
audio in large rooms. After attending the first
President/ Provost open forum last semester, I
noticed that the recording sounded thin, which
I can only attribute to the size of the room.

There are many useful applications
for the pen, like a unit converter or table maker.
However, these applications come at an extra
cost. These applications do have some flaws,
though, and can be difficult to work with.
Basic applications, like Connect, allow users
to output files to a different location than just
the Livescribe Connect Program. It also allows
pages to be clumped together in PDF booklets

CHECK IT OUT:

 

Interested in getting involved in
sustainability around campus?

 

ENGINEERS FOR A SUSTAINABLE WORLD
ESWIIT1@GMAIL.COM

USGBC

I

U.S. GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL IIT STUDENT CHAPTER
USGBCSTUDENTS-GROUP@HAWK.IIT.EDU

 

r‘
9

NET IMPACT

NET IMPACT

NETIMPACT@||T.EDU

campussustainability@iit.edu
IIT OFFICE OF CAMPUS ENERGY AND SUSTAINABILITY

 

MicroJJSB Connector

Transfers notes and audio to
your computer and recharges
your smartpen using a
standard cable comedian.

Microphone

Capture your meetings or
lectures with crisp dear
sound.

Soft Rubber Grip

so copies of homework can be readily available
for review, or thoughts that jump between pages
of class work can be bundled together.
Livescribe support is absolutely
awesome. There are many videos and guides
on how to use the many functions on the
Livescribe website, livescribe.com. There is also
a large troubleshooting section due to the many
issues which have arisen with the pen, and if
the troubleshooters are not enough to fix any
problems, the friendly customer service and
willingness to replace a malfunctioning pen
is astounding. When my first pen broke after

 
  
  
    
  
   
    

Audio Jack

Standard 3.5mm jadc fits
your arm earphones or the
Echo 3—D Recording Premium
Headset to enable 'hi-na-ural
recording.

OLED DisplayI
High—contrast OLED display
“HIE it: easy to navigate
smartpen apps.

  

Image co urtesy ofchip chickcom

dropping my messenger bag filled with books
and a laptop on it, the pen was replaced free of
charge.

Over all, the Echo smartpen pen is
great for people who like to listen to lectures
while reviewing their notes, or cannot write
fast enough to keep up with presenters. lt
shines with people who like to think aloud
while working, and has a large potential of use
for professors in lectures when used with the
Elmo projection systems for lecturing. If you
are interested in any of the functionality this
pen brings I highly suggest investing in one.

 

Tech[nology]N

 

Shocking!: Electric tattoos

By Pranava Teja Surukuchi
TECHNEWS WRITER

Tattoos are awesome, until
they aren’t. Wait until Electronic skin is
available commercially though,this new
technology is a stretchable ultra—thin device
that clings to the skin. The device includes
sensors for temperature, strain, and electric
signals from the body. This is a new kind of
wearable technology prototyped by John A.
Rogers, a Materials Scientist and his team at
University of Illinois at Urbana—Champaign.

Depending upon the functional
requirement of the device, it can be placed at
several locations on the skin. One the wrist, it
can measure blood flow and muscle movement.
On the forehead, it can record brainwaves, and
when placed on the throat, it can function as
a secret phone to record the signals by simply
deciphering movements of the voice box.

The device was mounted
on a person’s throat and the electrical
measurements are used to control the cursor
on the screen, demonstrating the device’s

potential as a Human—Computer interface.

Electronic skin was designed to be
flexible and stretchable, so that it can cling on
to the skin and still be able to function normally.
To achieve this, Rogers made use of high
performance materials like silicon and fabricated
them into thin “serpent like shapes” which helps
it to flex and stretch as much as human skin.

There are several potential uses
of the electronic tattoos. It can be used as
a non—invasive diagnosis for patients with
health conditions like sleep apnea or heart
arrhythmia. It can also be used for monitoring
the heart activity of premature babies.
Rogers believes that the immediate use of
the device is in bio—integrated technology
and adds that the ultimate goal is to create
tiny devices that may even be able to operate
independently within the body, improving,
for example, the health of the human heart.

The possibilities of such a device are.
From monitoring the heart rate of premature
babies to using it as a console in gaming industry
to transmitting data by secret agents, it can
completely revolutionize the world around us.it
can completely revolutionize the world around us.

 

Photos co urtesy aflohn A. Rogers