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Electronics

Scribble Ink lets users draw with colors that they find around them

By Ben Coxworth
May 27, 2014
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The Scribble pen produces ink based on color samples of real-world objects
The Scribble pen produces ink based on color samples of real-world objects
The components on the Scribble Ink and Stylus

If you want to sample a color that you encounter in the real world and then reproduce it on your computer, you might already be interested in devices like the SwatchMate Cube or the NODE Chroma module. Sometimes, though, you might just want to do some freehand pen-and-ink drawing using such "captured colors." That's just what Scribble's upcoming Ink color picker pen is designed to let you do.

The Scribble Ink has (or will have) a 16-bit RGB color sensor on one end, that is held up to the leaf, brick, person's face, or whatever it is that you like the color of. An integrated ARM 9 microprocessor subsequently analyzes the color and stores it. When you later want to draw or write in that color, the pen reproduces it by mixing ink from its cyan, magenta, yellow, white and/or black refillable cartridges.

It's reportedly possible to reproduce over 16 million colors, 100,000 of which can be stored on the Ink's 1GB of memory at one time. If you want to use and/or manage those colors on your smartphone or computer, the device also has a Micro USB port and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity.

Power is provided by an onboard rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

The components on the Scribble Ink and Stylus

For people who prefer tablet screens over paper, the company also plans on producing a Scribble Stylus. Its specs are much the same as those of the Ink, although instead of ink cartridges and a writing tip, it will feature a capacitive rubber tip. Color information will be transmitted to the user's tablet by Bluetooth.

Scribble plans on pricing the Ink and Stylus at US$149.95 and $79.95, respectively. A Kickstarter campaign should be starting soon, in order to raise production funds. If you're interested in knowing when it starts, you can sign up for notification via the first link below.

Source: Scribble via Technabob

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ElectronicsColorArtWritingKickstarter
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Ben Coxworth
Based out of Edmonton, Canada, Ben Coxworth has been writing for New Atlas since 2009 and is presently Managing Editor for North America. An experienced freelance writer, he previously obtained an English BA from the University of Saskatchewan, then spent over 20 years working in various markets as a television reporter, producer and news videographer. Ben is particularly interested in scientific innovation, human-powered transportation, and the marine environment.
2 comments
EH
Nice - I had a similar idea in the mid-90s for an any-color inkjet pen, but with only manual color selection. Having a color sensor is a really good idea. It would be even better if it could capture and reproduce texture patterns, though. That could be achieved using a cellphone-type camera instead of the color sensor, and either optical-mouse style IR locator or accelerometers+gyro. Software and controls would be considerably more complex, though.
Marshall Thomas
Its unfortunately a massive scam. Hack A Day has done 2 articles and has followed this item sense it started to gain a following. Before the KickStarter was pulled BY THE TEAM because they were asked to provide a better evidence video of a WORKING prototype. Looking at the specs listed for the pen its evident its not possible. The processor listed would not fit in the size of the pen.
http://hackaday.com/2014/09/04/scribble-and-the-failings-of-tech-journalism/
http://hackaday.com/2014/08/14/scribble-wait-kickstarter-is-vetting-projects-now/
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