The forces behind the words: Development of the Kinetic Pen

This paper describes the creation of a Kinetic Pen capable of measuring the six-component force and torque that each of four individual contacts applies to the pen during writing. This was done by staggering the mounting of the four sensors along the long axis of the pen and having an extended arm run from the sensor to the grip site, preventing a clustering of the sensors where the digit tips meet while grasping. The implications of this tool allow handwriting studies to be expanded from two-dimensional pen-tip kinematics to three-dimensional dynamics at each contact point between the hand and pen.