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A long time ago I thought about handwriting when my son's teacher told him that he wouldn't pass the 12+ if his handwriting did not improve. The WriteTrack idea was born but it took years to make a satisfactory prototype and apply for a patent.
Some key skills for handwriting are fine motor control and hand-eye coordination. Children learn these by continued practice and feedback of success or failure. WriteTrack aims to provide a better opportunity for this by continually sensing how accurately a user is following a handwriting sample and giving immediate feedback.
WriteTrack's "nib" contains a sensing system to determine if it is pressed against a dark line or a light area. As long as it is against a dark line it shows a green light and remains silent. When it moves off a dark line onto a light area, it shows a red light and makes a noise. The student has to try and follow a template using WriteTrack. The instant feedback given by WriteTrack helps the child to learn fine motor control and hand-eye coordination rapidly.
A key feature of WriteTrack is that templates for the child to follow can be made using ordinary drawing materials. I usually use a felt-tip pen on plain white paper. A wide pen makes an easy template, a narrow pen makes a harder one. The choice of font is down to the teacher and the needs of the student. Templates do not have to be in the form of writing. A circle might be an easy template to start with.
Templates last a long time. WriteTrack doesn't leave a mark on the template but, eventually, it will wear out the surface. Templates can be used over and over again. Printed and photocopy materials are satisfactory so they are very cheap and easy to make.
The professional version of WriteTrack has built-in rechargeable batteries and comes with a charger. It is due for production in 2008. We can accept orders at the special introductory price of £24.99 plus P&P plus VAT.
A patent has been applied for covering both the idea of WriteTrack and key technologies inside it. We will defend our intellectual property rights to the full extent possible.