There is a debate as to which is better – writing the good old fashion way with pen and paper, or typing it onto a computer. No doubt the latter is more efficient in terms of speed and accessibility, but there is a charm about putting pen to paper, not to mention there has been some study done suggesting that handwritten notes are more effective than typed ones.
This has led companies such as Moleskine to develop an in-between, where users can write using pen and paper, but at the same time have those handwritten notes converted digitally. However digitizers can be quite expensive, but researchers at the Carnegie Mellon University might have come up with a more affordable way.
They have created an affordable touch-sensitive way of digitizing handwritten notes. How they accomplished this is through the use of regular paper with conductive material applied to the back. From there it allowed the paper to be interacted with in all sorts of ways, such as by writing on it, using a stylus, or jabbing at it with your finger.
In terms of cost, the researchers estimate that it will cost $0.30 per sheet, which isn’t terribly expensive, but they claim that through large-scale production, those costs can be lowered even further.
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