In a process similar to the pointillism style of painting, some pen-and-ink artists create drawings consisting of tiny dots and dashes. Belgian startup Dozendots has set out to make doing so easier, with its power-tipped Inki ballpoint pen.
Featuring a stainless steel and brass body, Inki utilizes an internal motor to move its titanium tip up and down at a rate of 700 movements per minute. That motor is turned on and off by twisting the pen's cap, with an integrated gel shock absorber helping to keep the pen from shaking as the tip moves.
Once the motor has been powered up, users simply move the tip along the paper, varying the angle, pressure and drawing speed to create different effects. Depending on how it's used, for instance, Inki can apparently produce lines of dots or dashes, or U or V-shaped markings. Of course, it's also possible to turn off the motor, and just use it as a regular art pen.
Power is provided by a single replaceable AAA battery, which should be good for about four hours of use.
If you're interested, Inki is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign. A pledge of €35 (about US$40) will get you one, when and if they reach production. The planned retail price is €70, with boxes of five house-brand "high-quality Japanese ink" refill cartridges selling for around $5. A limited-run titanium-bodied model is also available.
Inki can be seen in action, in the video below.
Sources: Kickstarter, Inki