fiber-optic pen may help scientists understand dyslexia - writing pad for pc

A new fiber-
Optical pens may help to reveal the unique brain patterns of patients with dyslexia, such as dyslexia.
Engineers at the University of Washington made the device by hollowing out ballpoint pens and sticking two fiber optic fibers to the center.
One fiber glows on a custom writing board with a continuous color gradient, while the second fiber transmits the light back to the color sensor in the nearby computer.
By identifying the change of color when the pen moves on the keyboard, the computer records the path of the pen in a real waytime movie.
"We need an absolute measure of where they are," said Frederick Ritz, an engineer involved in the project . ".
"So we can't just use the board to determine the relative movement.
We really need to know where they put the pen on the mat.
"The team designed a pen that can be used in the brain --
Scanning a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine that allows a person to track brain patterns when writing.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) reveals blood flow, a measure of brain activity.
By analyzing the brain scan next to the computer
The team wants to identify brain regions associated with specific writing disorders symptoms and generate pen path records.
Pens may also help to examine brain patterns in Sports patients
Damage to diseases such as Parkinson's disease or multiple hardening.
Other similar devices already exist, including the fMRI-
Compatible touch
The new pen is the simplest and cheapest tablet, priced at around $100.
Any amateur can take [the pen]
Life Science, Reitz told.
"It took a little bit of time for the software to figure it out, but it's now public --
So the hurdles are hurdles.
"The team is trying to speed up their fibers --
And plan to test the improved model in the next few months.
The study was presented in detail in April in the journal Sensors, and was published in June 18 at the annual meeting of the human brain mapping organization in Seattle.
The National Institutes of Health fundedpen project.
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