Margaret Atwood's LongPen for remote signatures

So Margaret Atwood invented (or had invented for her) a robot hand called the LongPen, so she can have her cake and eat it too: "attend" book signings all over the world without having to leave the comfort of her home. Apparently she'll be "signing" remotely via video feed and robo-hand, which, while rather appropriate for one some authors, just has fans, publishers, and agents in a bit of a tizzy. Will the robot hand overturn the traditional book signing tour? Probably not, we're gonna predict it could at best become an isolated fad, if anything. But come on, you can't but love a robot hand that signs your books for you because you're too famous (or lazy, or incapacitated, or carpaltastic) to do it yourself. (And no, that's not the LongPen, pictured, sorry.)

[Via The Raw Feed]

[Dana @ Feb 20th 2006 12:13AM]

Surely the pen strokes will be digitized and replayed to save her all that effort.

[Eric @ Feb 20th 2006 12:23AM]

Secretly put a check underneath that instead of a book..

[Hunter @ Feb 20th 2006 12:35AM]

"carpaltastic" is the best thing I've seen all day.

[NotGood_DaD @ Feb 20th 2006 12:41AM]

When you talk about 'remote hand movements' the first thing that springs to mind is 'noble' concepts - like remote surgery etc ... But remote book signing ? hahaha - funny what tasks people apply technology to :)

[Azmeen @ Feb 20th 2006 1:25AM]

Now, if only the hand can do remote thumb printing...

Then it'll be a complete package!

[Jeff @ Feb 20th 2006 2:05AM]

Of course, the irony here is that this woman is horrified of the future and technology, and believes that technology will only bring oppression and death. Her last book ("Oryx and Crake"), set about 80 years in the future, was about a biological holocaust brought on by human experimentation in gene splicing. And before that, of course, was the Orwellian "The Handmaids Tale".

But she does have a sense of humor. And I have a feeling this is some sort of joke she's playing, given her obvious thoughts on where we're headed in the future.

[paul stafford @ Feb 20th 2006 2:28AM]

would it be possible to attach these hands to various parts of the body?

[bj @ Feb 20th 2006 2:56AM]

i can think of a few more "noble" uses...

[Greg @ Feb 20th 2006 2:59AM]

I can see a huge potential for this invention in the adult industry !!! Imagine, you will be able to have real virtual sex !!! Though, they should work on some kind of skin, or that'll hurt big time ;)

[Victor @ Feb 20th 2006 8:17AM]

The actual "hand" is not as cool as the picture accompanying the post. It is a remote plotter with a teleconferencing system:

http://www.unotchit.com/see-winmedia-video.html

[Galley @ Feb 20th 2006 8:34AM]

At first I thought this was stupid. Who wants to see a robotic hand sign a book? Well, if you watch the video, you'll see that it's actaully a teleconferencing thing, where you see and speak to the author, and they must write their message to you before the plotter device "writes" it. Of course, it's not as good as the real thing.

[Snappy! @ Feb 20th 2006 8:57AM]

Haven't they heard of something called a plotter? Store her signature using a tabletPC or something stroke capturing tool ... like a PDA. "Print" out her signature using a plotter. *done*

All off-the-shelf products. ;)

[Argos @ Feb 20th 2006 9:57AM]

umm tasty cybernetic appendages...mmm

[dan @ Feb 20th 2006 12:20PM]

so does this thing actually COUNT as a book signing? It's not really the signature that most people want it's the act of seeing the author.

[Robit? @ Feb 20th 2006 1:40PM]

I don't know if I'm confortable with a robit signing my tits.

[Tulio @ Feb 20th 2006 3:58PM]

Arnold Schwarzenegger could do the commercials for it. "I'm back" Especially, of T4 comes out.

SO, is the robot autograph considered authenic, will it have the same vaule.. Most autographs are not just for the signature, but to meet the people as well.

This could be used for legal reason along with a Public Notary. I don't have to travel 8000 mile to sign a contract.

[GTgadget @ Feb 20th 2006 11:41PM]

For some reason, this article (and that picture) really makes me think of Futurama.

[Xena @ Mar 7th 2006 4:36AM]

I personally find this longpen gadget creepy. Robots and computers don't produce any emotional feelings. Seeing a video feed of the author while the longpen signs the book just feels cold. No being up close and personal. I'm not trying to sound perverted. I'm trying to make a point. The point is, if people replace themselves with robots and gadgets, a lot of things will be missed. Things that we take for granted all the time. Emotions, interactions, things that make us human.

[faster boy @ Nov 16th 2006 1:43PM]

Hi!

If you are too tired to sign, Margaret - use marvelous ringpen http://www.ringpen.com ! It will give you LIVE sign.
Remote pen... May be better to use printer?!
I remember (made for funny) a remote mashine to paste cream on toothbrush